Rice Arsenic

Some toxicologists argue that the new standard is still not sufficiently protective, especially of children, because studies have recorded reductions in IQ due to chronic arsenic contamination at concentrations below the MCL. While some water systems have been able to comply with the new MCL for arsenic contamination, others have struggled to make the necessary changes and additions to infrastructure to bring their systems into compliance. A report from the Environmental Integrity Project in 2016 found that in California, there were 95 public drinking water systems that had arsenic levels above the federal limit, leaving 55,985 residents with arsenic contaminated drinking water. The majority of the communities still affected were low-income communities and communities of color, and they were clustered in the San Joaquin

90% of all rice is grown in asia, in irrigated and upland areas of not only asia but west africa and central and south america. The rice in these countries are grown close to equator in grasslands areas the reason grasslands are used for farming of rice is because it's a perfect mix of cool and hot climates which is great for growth and they are predominantly large and expansive biomes perfect for growing crops on a large scale. It can be grown up to and around 3000 meters

This indicates a direct correlation between exposure to agricultural chemical substances and severely adverse health effects. With regards to these alarming statistics, we as a society are putting our children, and future generations, in a terrible state of

Believe it or not, the trivalent Arsenic is 60 times more toxic than the pentavalent Arsenic. A research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association pointed out that people who consumed large amounts of arsenic rice, without any other known arsenic exposure, had cellular changes which can lead to cancer.

Today, a genetic engineering technology is widely applied in the food industry, where the genetic composition of inorganic foods is deliberately manipulated for increased yield and cost cutting. Such inorganic and GM foods may contain various nutrients in the standard proportion as that of organic foods1, however; their nutritional quality is quite inferior. In the US, almost 80% of conventional food products contain GMOs2. Moreover, in inorganic dietary supplements, inactive compounds called excipients are used as fillers, binders, coating and glaze materials, coloring ingredients, flavoring agents and preservatives. These excipients do not have any nutritional benefits and are often found to be toxic. Further, a long term consumption of inorganic foods has been known to cause damaging health effects like carcinogenicity, allergies, reproductive defects, gastrointestinal tract problems, pituitary gland disturbance, liver and kidney damage and behavioral changes in children3, 4, 5, 6. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that consumption of arsenic present in inorganic foods for a longer duration leads to skin allergies, neurotoxicity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and skin, bladder and lung

Researches have shown that exposure to arsenic can cause acute and chronic effects on different organs of the body, like cardiovascular system, digestive system, respiratory system, and nervous system.

Arsenic occurs naturally in the ground through the oxidation of arsenic minerals and gets into water supplies through wind-blown dust, runoff, leaching, or being released from sediment into the groundwater. (“Arsenic: MedlinePlus” and “Arsenic”). In addition to natural activities, industrial activities surrounding the site can also be linked to high concentrations of arsenic in water (“Environmental Health Criteria 224: Arsenic And Arsenic Compounds”). Based on the teachings of Megan Cook one can deduce that arsenic pollution is both point and nonpoint, meaning that it is difficult to isolate the source. Furthermore, arsenic is an odorless and tasteless element, making it nearly impossible to determine whether or not it is present in water, using only the human senses (“What Is the Difference between Organic and Inorganic Arsenic?”). This means that anyone can unknowingly be consuming high levels of arsenic and making it that much more dangerous. A frightening aspect about arsenicosis, the disease that results from excessive arsenic consumption, is

Inorganic arsenic is highly toxic. Ways people are exposed to inorganic arsenic is by drinking contaminated water,

Fukushima rice called "Ten no Tsubu" will undergo radiation tests and got the official certification. The test is to get confirmation of rice is safe before it is sold in stores in the United Kingdom.

Arsenic is a poison that interferes with ATP production. It is a metalloid that is found in our environment. Arsenic is toxic if inhaled and must be combined with another source for it to react and affect something. It comes in various forms such as crystalline, powder, vitreous and amorphous. Arsenic can be found in groundwater that people use for drinking. Groundwater contamination is usually occurring from a leak due to industrial exposure.

on Earth consume one bowl of white rice every day, but white rice cannot provide enough amount of Vitamin A. The scientists at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have produced “golden” rice which comprises a high amount of beta-carotene (the orange-color pigment and precursor of Vitamin A). The scientists worked more than 10 years on creating “golden” rice (Verna 6). Unfortunately, as Deborah B. Whitman points out in her article “Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful, or Helpful?”: “. . . , the grant that funded the creation of this rice strain was not renewed, perhaps because of the vigorous anti-GMO food protesting in Europe, and so this nutritionally-enhanced rice may not come to market at all” (3).

Moreover, since rice is the main staple and is eaten in enormous amounts in developing countries, Golden Rice could eventually lead to excessive intake of vitamin A which is also known as hypervitaminosis or vitamin A toxicity. This causes vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, central nervous system disorders, increased risk of osteoporosis and incomplete formation of the cranial bone of a fetus (Greenpeace, 2014). Score(-5)

The arsenic contaminated water should not be used for drinking. Hospitalization with good nutritional diet reduces the primary symptoms. A high protein diet in food helps in clearance of inorganic arsenic by the process of methylation. Supplemental potassium decreases the risk of experiencing a life threatening heart rhythm problem from arsenic trioxide. The patients should be treated clinically based upon the symptoms. Bronchial irritation must be stopped to prevent arsenic induced bronchitis. Hence the smokers must be motivated to quit smoking (Guha et al, 1998; Saha,

Inorganic arsenic, which is often metabolised in humans into toxic methylated arsenicals, is known to be a potential carcinogen that causes tumours of the lungs, skin, urinary bladder, and other non-cancer effects (Radosavljevic & Jakovljevic, 2008). Arsenic is a significant contaminant and its organic and inorganic occurrence in the environment results from both natural and anthropogenic activities. Humans are mainly exposed to the organic forms - arsenite, AsO33-, and arsenate, AsO43-. Large populations in North and South America, as well as Millions more in India, Bangladesh, , and China are exposed high concentrations of organic form of arsenic through drinking water from geogenic sources (Kumar, 2010). Even as some areas experience

Cancer is one of the most prevalent groups of disorders in the population in many countries worldwide. Epidemiologic studies have indicated that most human cancers are originally caused by environmental exposure to genotoxic agents (Doll et al., 1981). With respect to global human health hazard, arsenic (As) is one of the most important environmental single substance toxicants. It is a metalloid element and exists in organic and inorganic forms (iAs). Later is considered as a class I human carcinogen (IARC, 2004, 2012) and is associated with adverse effects dependent on dose, duration and exposure frequency. In particular chronic exposure to iAs is associated to an increased risk of skin, bladder, lung, kidney cancers, as well as