Is There Arsenic Hiding In My Rice?

There has been a good deal of buzz in the media recently about arsenic levels in rice. Anytime you have media buzz you have some facts, some half-facts, and a good amount of misinformation. In this article we are going try to clear up the confusion about arsenic levels in food, and don't worry, we just had this web page tested and it has less than 10 ppm of Arsenic :)

What is Arsenic?

Arsenic is a chemical element with the cool symbol of As and the awesome atomic number of 33. Arsenic can be found naturally in rocks, soil, air, water, plants and animals...or to put it another way, pretty much anywhere.

There are actually two different forms of Arsenic - Organic Arsenic and Inorganic Arsenic. To avoid poising you with boredom, we will not go into all the differences between Organic and Inorganic Arsenic, but just know that Inorganic Arsenic has been linked to many more health issues.

What Is Arsenic Used For?

Arsenic has a number of different uses. While Arsenic is great for strengthening alloys such as lead, it does have a dark side. It turns out Arsenic is fairly toxic to insects, plants, bacteria and in higher amounts, humans.

Unfortunately the full toxicity of Arsenic to humans was not understood for a number of decades and Arsenic was used as an insecticide and a wood preservative. Once we became aware of the health risks of high levels of arsenic in our soil, plants and foods, arsenic was banned as an insecticide and wood preservative.

Great, So There is No Arsenic in Our Food Supply, Right?

Well, if you mean 0.00000 amount of arsenic in our food supply, then no, that is not true. As we stated above, Organic Arsenic is found in trace amounts in just about everything we drink or eat. In terms of the more dangerous Inorganic Arsenic, there are still trace amounts found in our food supply.

Arsenic has a way of sticking around for ages in the soil and water supply, so the arsenic insecticides we used to use still cause us to see very low levels of arsenic in our food and water supply.

Yikes, So If I Drink Water I Might Get Arsenic Poisoning???

No, you will actually get refreshed if you drink water! In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the amount of Arsenic that can be in public drinking water. The level of inorganic Arsenic allowed in water is 10 ppb (parts per billion) or .010 ppm (parts per million), which can also be expressed as .01 micrograms (mcg) per gram.

Don't worry, I know none of this makes any real world sense yet, but just hang with us, it will all become clear.

The good news, drinking water, with these low levels of Arsenic (<10 ppb), is not going to poison you or cause health issues.

What About the Rest of the Food I Eat- Is it Filled with Arsenic?

Here is where things start to get confusing. Pretty much anything that grows in soil will have some arsenic in it, the problem is we don't know what is the safe amount of arsenic to consume before it causes issues. The FDA has only set the 10 ppb limit on water, but it has not set limits on other foods...such as rice.

I Heard Rice Has High Levels of Arsenic- Is This True?

Recently, Consumer Reports tested over 200 samples of rice products and found them to have relatively high levels of Arsenic. For example, Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice had over 200 ppb of Arsenic. While there is no Federal limit on Arsenic in food, clearly 200 ppb in rice when compared to 10 ppb allowed in water, seems alarming.

After the Consumer Reports story, numerous other media outlets picked up the story and advised people to be aware of potentially high levels of Arsenic in rice products. The FDA is currently conducting their own testing and at this point has NOT recommended a change in how rice products are consumed.

So, How Do I Know How Much Arsenic is in the Rice I'm Eating?

Unfortunately, when it comes to food, there is no way to know how much arsenic is in a rice dish you are eating. There are numerous factors which can impact arsenic levels in rice such as country of origin, how the rice was processed and growing conditions. The only way to know for sure how much arsenic is in your food would be to see a lab assay on the food, and food companies just do NOT provide that. On the other hand, the reputable supplement companies do provide lab assays...

Yes, You Absolutely Know The Arsenic Levels in Perfect Plant Protein

As we have discussed in our article on rice protein, we absolutely love the Perfect Plant Protein powder. One of the many reasons we love this supplement is that they provide exact lab assays that show how much Arsenic is in their product.

Here is a copy of their lab assay -



What Does That Lab Assay Really Mean?

I know all these tiny numbers are confusing, what does .089 ppm really mean? Is that safe? How does it compare to water? Well, let's do some simple math and see exactly how the Perfect Plant Protein arsenic levels compare to water...


When It Comes to Arsenic and Supplements, There Is No Need to Guess

All of the above shows that when researching a rice supplement, you do not need to guess at the levels of arsenic in the product. Simply ask to see the lab assay and do the calculations as we did above. You will instantly know if your supplement has less arsenic than water.

Unfortunately, with food made from rice, there is still a great deal of guess work and speculation. You will continue to hear media reports about which rice products might have the most arsenic. Just understand, since supplements are tested for Arsenic, there is no need to guess or speculate - if the lab test shows low levels or Arsenic, you know you have a safe product.

For Now, Rice Supplements May Be The Safest Way to Get Rice Into Your Diet

So, what about eating rice based foods, are they safe to eat? We really can't answer that question. The FDA needs to do more testing and let the public know the arsenic levels in rice foods. Our guess is that the vast majority of rice products are safe, but until food companies are required to post lab assays with the exact amount of arsenic in their product, we will have speculation and guesswork.

At this point, it may be that going with a 100% Certified Organic Rice protein, such as the Perfect Plant Protein, that has been lab tested for Arsenic levels, is the safest way to go.

To Learn More About Perfect Plant Protein, Click Here