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. 2012 May;120(5):623-6.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.1104619. Epub 2012 Feb 16.

Arsenic, organic foods, and brown rice syrup

Brian P Jackson  1 , Vivien F Taylor, Margaret R Karagas, Tracy Punshon, Kathryn L Cottingham
Affiliations

Arsenic, organic foods, and brown rice syrup

Brian P Jackson et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 May.

Abstract

Background: Rice can be a major source of inorganic arsenic (Asi) for many sub-populations. Rice products are also used as ingredients in prepared foods, some of which may not be obviously rice based. Organic brown rice syrup (OBRS) is used as a sweetener in organic food products as an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup. We hypothesized that OBRS introduces As into these products.

Objective: We determined the concentration and speciation of As in commercially available brown rice syrups and in products containing OBRS, including toddler formula, cereal/energy bars, and high-energy foods used by endurance athletes.

Methods: We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS to determine total As (Astotal) concentrations and As speciation in products purchased via the Internet or in stores in the Hanover, New Hampshire, area.

Discussion: We found that OBRS can contain high concentrations of Asi and dimethyl-arsenate (DMA). An "organic" toddler milk formula containing OBRS as the primary ingredient had Astotal concentrations up to six times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safe drinking water limit. Cereal bars and high-energy foods containing OBRS also had higher As concentrations than equivalent products that did not contain OBRS. Asi was the main As species in most food products tested in this study.

Conclusions: There are currently no U.S. regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi into an individual's diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.

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Conflict of interest statement

The NIEHS and U.S. EPA were not involved in the design and conduct of the study or collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data. The contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIEHS or U.S. EPA. Further, the U.S. EPA does not endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in the publication.

The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Asi and DMA concentrations in milk formulas with and without OBRS. (A) Concentrations of Asi and DMA in prepared formula in reconstituted milk formulas relative to the current WHO and U.S. EPA drinking water standard of 10 µg/L (horizontal line). (B) Daily As intake for a 9‑kg baby drinking six 4‑ounce bottles of milk formula reconstituted with As-free water relative to a 60‑kg adult drinking 2 L tap water at the safe drinking water limit (horizontal line). Data are mean ± SD. The No OBRS bars are calculated from 15 different main-brand milk formulas (Jackson et al. 2012); the OBRS bars are based on triplicate analysis from one lot (a or b) of each type.
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