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Carbohydrate (g)
Arsenic (mcg)

Arsenic

information from the National Institutes of Health

Arsenic is a silver-gray or white-metallic element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. It is odorless and nearly tasteless.

Pure arsenic is a metal and is rare in the environment; arsenic is usually found combined with one or more other elements, such as oxygen or chlorine. Arsenic is also produced as a by-product from the operation of copper, cobalt, and lead smelters. Abandoned uranium mines may contain arsenic in the soil and water.

Arsenic compounds are used primarily in wood preservatives; in pesticides, primarily on cotton plants; as alloying, or tempering, agents for heavy metals; in the manufacture of certain kinds of glass; and in solders and medicines.

Arsenic is present in the environment as a naturally occurring substance or as a result of contamination from human activity. It is found in water, air, food and soil in organic and inorganic forms.

There are two types of arsenic: organic and inorganic. The inorganic forms of arsenic are the harmful forms, while the organic forms of arsenic are essentially harmless. Because both forms of arsenic have been found in soil and ground water, small amounts may be found in certain food and beverage products, including fruit juices and juice concentrates.

Exposure to Arsenic

You can be exposed to arsenic by breathing contaminated air at work, by breathing sawdust or smoke from burning wood treated with arsenic, or eating food, drinking water, or breathing air that contains arsenic.

Exposure can also come from living in areas near copper or lead smelters, industrialized areas where large quantities of arsenic are disposed of in landfills or hazardous waste sites, or areas with unusually high natural levels of arsenic in rock.

Arsenic and Health

Arsenic is a known poison; consuming or breathing in large quantities of arsenic can cause death. It is also listed as a human carcinogen in the Twelfth Report on Carcinogens published by the National Toxicology Program because it has been shown to cause skin, lung, bladder, liver, kidney, and prostate cancer.

Exposure to arsenic may increase the risk of damage to a developing fetus. Exposure to lower levels of arsenic can cause nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythm, decreased production of red and white blood cells, impaired nerve function, damage to blood vessels, skin warts and corns, and red or swelling skin.

Repeated exposure to arsenic can damage the liver and kidneys, cause stomach problems, and cause a darkening of the skin. Breathing high levels of arsenic can cause a sore throat or irritated lungs.

Being exposed to low levels for a long time can change the color of your skin. It can cause corns and small warts.

How Arsenic Gets in Rice

At one point, farmers in the south central United States controlled boll weevils with arsenic-based pesticides, and residual arsenic still contaminates the soil. Today, rice paddies cover fields where cotton once grew, and a large survey published in 2007 in Environmental Science & Technology now shows that rice grown in this area contains, on average, 1.76 times more arsenic than rice grown in California. With rice consumption increasing steadily in the United States, high-rice diets may be of concern.

How to Reduce Arsenic Exposure from Rice

Rinse rice thoroughly before cooking. Instead of cooking rice in water that is entirely absorbed by the grains, use a ratio of six cups water to one cup rice and drain the excess water. Research shows these steps remove about 30 percent of the rice’s inorganic arsenic content.

Organic growing conditions, however, do not guarantee low arsenic levels, since any rice growing in arsenic-laden soil soaks up arsenic.

High Arsenic Food Sources

Arsenic-based pesticides were commonly used in United States agricultural production up until 1970, when more effective substances became available. As a result, trace levels of organic and inorganic forms of arsenic can be detected in some agricultural settings, which may lead to small amounts of arsenic in certain foods and beverages.

The maximum level of arsenic allowed in bottled water is 10 micrograms in one liter of bottled water or 10 parts per billion (ppb). As required under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FDA evaluated and adpted EPA's standard of 10 ppb for arsenic in public drinking water as the standard for bottled water for the protection of public health.

List of Foods that Contain Arsenic

In the following list, arsenic content (measured largely by hydride generation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) is in micrograms per 100 g of food weight (or 100 mL of liquid food).

Arsenic

Foods that Have Arsenic

753.0

Fish, crumbed, purchased frozen, baked

421.9

Mussel, green, steamed or boiled

148.6

Salmon, Atlantic, steamed or poached

127.0

Smoked fish (including eel & trout), smoked

126.3

Salmon, Atlantic, fillets, raw

84.1

Tuna, canned in water, added salt, drained

84.1

Tuna, canned in brine, drained

60.4

Trout, rainbow, aquacultured, steamed or poached

51.3

Trout, rainbow, aquacultured, raw

49.1

Barramundi, aquacultured fillets, steamed or poached

44.8

Crabmeat, canned in brine, drained

43.0

Salmon, Pacific king, fillets, flesh only, raw

41.7

Barramundi, aquacultured, fillets, raw

39.7

Crabmeat, canned in brine

34.5

Silver perch, aquacultured, steamed or poached

32.0

Tilapia, steamed or poached

29.3

Silver perch, aquacultured, raw

27.2

Tilapia, fillet, raw

26.2

Milkfish, aquacultured, steamed or poached

22.2

Milkfish, aquacultured, raw

21.3

Biscuit, savoury, rice cracker

19.5

Mushroom, common, stir-fried without oil

14.6

Spread, yeast, vegemite

10.4

Mushroom, common, raw

10.2

Bassa (basa), steamed or poached

10.1

Garlic, peeled, stir-fried without oil

8.7

Bassa (basa), fillet, raw

8.0

Rice, fried, Chinese restaurant-style

6.9

Lamb, kidney, simmered

Arsenic

Foods that Have Arsenic

6.3

Garlic, peeled, raw

6.2

Breakfast cereal, mixed grain (wheat, oat & corn), extruded shapes, added vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 & C,

Ca & Fe

6.1

Beverage base, chocolate flavor, added minerals calcium & iron & vitamins A, B1, B2, C & D

5.8

Breakfast cereal, wheat bran, flakes, sultanas, added vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 & folate, Fe & Zn

5.6

Biscuit, savoury, cheese-flavored

5.5

Nut, walnut, raw

5.3

Sultana

5.2

Dried fruit mix (raisin or sultana), milk chocolate-coated

5.0

Chocolate, milk, with added milk solids

4.3

Rice, white, boiled, no added salt

4.3

Rice, white, boiled, with added salt

4.2

Breakfast cereal, mixed grain flakes (wheat, oats), added dried fruit, added vitamins B1, B2, B3 & folate

& Fe

4.1

Ham steak, raw

4.1

Ham, leg, lean & fat

4.1

Ham, leg, lean

4.1

Breakfast cereal, whole wheat, flakes, added dried fruit & nuts, added vitamins B1, B2, B3 & folate, Ca,

Fe & fibre

4.0

Dried fruit & nut mix, milk chocolate-coated

3.6

Almond, milk chocolate-coated

3.2

Seed, sesame, white

3.0

Tahini, sesame seed pulp

2.9

Pizza, supreme, purchased frozen, baked

2.9

Pizza, ham & pineapple, thin base, fast food chain-style

2.9

Pizza, ham & pineapple, takeaway style

2.9

Pizza, supreme, thick base, fast food chain-style

2.9

Pizza, supreme, takeaway style

2.9

Pizza, supreme, thin base, fast food chain style

2.9

Pizza, ham & pineapple, thick base, fast food chain-style

2.8

Chicken, drumstick, lean, baked without oil

2.6

Nut, almond, with skin

Arsenic

Foods that Have Arsenic

2.5

Bread, from wholemeal flour, toasted

2.2

Bread, from white flour, toasted

2.2

Chicken, breast, lean, baked

2.2

Chicken, breast, lean, stir fried without oil

2.2

Bread, from white flour, added omega-3 polyunsaturates, toasted

2.1

Bread, from wholemeal flour

2.1

Lamb, liver, grilled

2.0

Sausage, beef, fried

2.0

Sausage, beef, grilled

1.9

Biscuit, sweet, plain

1.9

Milk, rice, fluid, regular fat, added calcium

1.8

Salami, danish

1.8

Salami, unspecified variety

1.8

Bread, from white flour

1.8

Salami, pepperoni

1.8

Salami, milano

1.8

Salami, mettwurst

1.8

Salami, hungarian

1.8

Egg, chicken, whole, poached

1.8

Egg, chicken, whole, hard-boiled

1.8

Egg, chicken, whole, raw

1.8

Bread, from white flour, added omega-3 polyunsaturates

1.7

Capsicum, green, stir-fried without oil

1.7

Pea, green, canned in brine, boiled, drained

1.7

Pizza, ham & pineapple, purchased frozen, baked

1.7

Capsicum, red, stir-fried without oil

1.7

Biscuit, savoury, flavored

1.5

Capsicum, green, raw

1.5

Macadamia, milk chocolate-coated

1.5

Capsicum, red, raw

1.5

Chocolate, milk, with dried fruit & nut

Arsenic

Foods that Have Arsenic

1.5

Potato, pale skin, peeled, boiled

1.5

Peanut, milk chocolate-coated

1.4

Peanut butter, smooth & crunchy, added sugar, no added salt

1.4

Peanut butter, smooth & crunchy, added sugar & salt

1.4

Peanut butter, smooth & crunchy, no added sugar or salt

1.4

Bread, mixed grain, toasted

1.4

Biscuit, savoury, from white flour, flaky cracker style

1.4

Biscuit, savoury, from white flour, Salada style

1.4

Biscuit, savoury, wholemeal wheat flour

1.2

Bread, mixed grain

1.2

Pork, diced, as purchased, stir fried

1.2

Pork, forequarter chop, as purchased, barbecued

1.2

Pork, fillet, fully-trimmed, roasted

1.2

Pork, forequarter, separable fat, barbecued

1.2

Pork, forequarter chop, separable lean, barbecued

1.2

Pork, forequarter chop, semi-trimmed, barbecued

1.2

Pork, scotch roast, separable lean, roasted without oil or fat

1.2

Pork, silverside steak, separable lean, dry fried

1.2

Egg, chicken, whole, omega-3 polyunsaturate enriched, boiled

1.2

Pork, forequarter shoulder, separable lean, barbecued

1.2

Pork, round mini roast, separable fat, roasted

1.2

Pork, rump steak, separable lean, dry fried

1.2

Pork, round mini roast, as purchased, roasted without oil or fat

1.2

Pork, round steak, fully-trimmed, dry fried

1.2

Pork, medallion or loin steak, separable lean, dry fried

1.2

Pork, scotch roast, as purchased, roasted without oil or fat

1.2

Egg, chicken, whole, omega-3 polyunsaturate enriched, raw

1.2

Pork, strips, as purchased, stir-fried

1.2

Pork, topside steak, fully-trimmed, dry fried

1.2

Pork, topside steak, as purchased, dry fried

1.2

Pie, savoury, meat, commercial, family size

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