Arsenic in rice: A human health emergency in South and South-East Asia

Rahman, MA; Rahman, MM; Hasegawa, H

Arsenic in rice: A human health emergency in South and South-East Asia

Rahman, MA

Rahman, MM Hasegawa, H

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Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Rice: Production, Consumption and Health Benefits, 2012, pp. 37 - 63
Issue Date:: 2012-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Rahman, MA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8065-0286	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Rahman, MM	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hasegawa, H	en_US
dc.date.issued	2012-12-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Rice: Production, Consumption and Health Benefits, 2012, pp. 37 - 63	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	9781621002291	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/31374
dc.description.abstract	Rice is the staple food for the people of South (S) and South-East (SE) Asian countries, where a large area has been reported to be contaminated with high level of arsenic from geogenic source, especially in Bangladesh and West Bengal (India). Arsenic contaminated groundwater has not only been used for drinking purpose but has also widely been used in irrigation, especially for rice cultivation during dry season. A number of recent studies reveal that extensive use of contaminated groundwater for irrigation has resulted in the deposition of high level arsenic in topsoil which, together with its content in irrigation water, may increase arsenic uptake in rice grain. Thus, arsenic in irrigation water poses a serious threat to the sustainable rice ferming in this region. Arsenic has also been reported in cooked rice, which is increased for cooking with contaminated water. Inorganic arsenic is the main species of S and SE Asian rice (80 to 91% of the total arsenic) while United States (US) rice contains predominantly organic arsenic. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified inorganic arsenic as a group 'A' human carcinogen. It has been predicted that eating more than 115 g of high-arsenic-containing rice could reach or surpass the drinking water standard for an adult. The people of Bangladesh and West Bengal (India), the arsenic hot spots in the world, eat an average of 450 g rice per day. Therefore, dietary intake of arsenic from rice is supposed to be a health disaster for the population of S and SE Asian countries. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Rice: Production, Consumption and Health Benefits	en_US
dc.title	Arsenic in rice: A human health emergency in South and South-East Asia	en_US
dc.type	Chapter
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US

Abstract:

Rice is the staple food for the people of South (S) and South-East (SE) Asian countries, where a large area has been reported to be contaminated with high level of arsenic from geogenic source, especially in Bangladesh and West Bengal (India). Arsenic contaminated groundwater has not only been used for drinking purpose but has also widely been used in irrigation, especially for rice cultivation during dry season. A number of recent studies reveal that extensive use of contaminated groundwater for irrigation has resulted in the deposition of high level arsenic in topsoil which, together with its content in irrigation water, may increase arsenic uptake in rice grain. Thus, arsenic in irrigation water poses a serious threat to the sustainable rice ferming in this region. Arsenic has also been reported in cooked rice, which is increased for cooking with contaminated water. Inorganic arsenic is the main species of S and SE Asian rice (80 to 91% of the total arsenic) while United States (US) rice contains predominantly organic arsenic. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified inorganic arsenic as a group 'A' human carcinogen. It has been predicted that eating more than 115 g of high-arsenic-containing rice could reach or surpass the drinking water standard for an adult. The people of Bangladesh and West Bengal (India), the arsenic hot spots in the world, eat an average of 450 g rice per day. Therefore, dietary intake of arsenic from rice is supposed to be a health disaster for the population of S and SE Asian countries. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/31374