RICE, ARSENIC AND CHILDREN

Scientific evidence is pointing to an alarming link between inorganic arsenic in brown and white rice and harm to children's immune systems and intellectual development.

Concentrations of arsenic were twice as high in the urine of infants who ate white or brown rice than those who ate no rice, according to research published recently. Arsenic levels were highest in babies who ate rice cereal, often given several times a day to introduce babies to solids.

Arsenic is a heavy metal which is a natural component of the earth's crust. It exists in compounds that may be organic or inorganic. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form. Toxicity is due to arsenic's effect on many cell enzymes, which affect metabolism and DNA repair. Arsenic is excreted in urine but can also accumulate in many body tissues.

Arsenic is a natural element found in soil, water and air, with the inorganic form being the most toxic. ("Inorganic" is a chemical term and has nothing to do with the method of farming.) Because rice is grown in water, it is especially good at absorbing inorganic arsenic and, according to the Food and Drug Administration, has the highest concentration of any food. If you think it's only imported rice, think twice.

Arsenic is a known carcinogen that can influence risk of heart, immune and other diseases. Other studies have looked at how inorganic arsenic exposure in womb could alter a baby's immune system. A study of levels of arsenic in pregnant women who ate rice products found that even low levels of exposure to inorganic arsenic in womb were related to infant respiratory infections in the first four months of life. Babies exposed to the highest levels were associated with severe infections that needed antibiotics to resolve.

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