Table 1.
Summary of selected dietary sources of arsenic exposure
| Arsenic source | Reference | Sample | Arsenic concentration range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown rice (includes basmati, jasmine, long/medium/short grain, instant) | FDA (45) | Commercially available and supplied by the USA Rice Federation, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 144) | Total As: 57–854 ppb InAs: 20–249 ppb (mean, weighted market share: 153.8 ppb) MMAs: <LOD–25 ppb DMAs: 11–568 ppb |
| White rice (includes basmati, jasmine, long/medium/short grain, instant) | FDA (45) | Commercially available and supplied by the USA Rice Federation, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 429) | Total As: 40–776 ppb InAs: 20–196 ppb (mean, weighted market share: 92.3 ppb) MMAs: <LOD–23 ppb DMAs: 10–687 ppb |
| Infant brown rice cereal | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 and 2016 (N = 59) | InAs: 30–254 ppb (mean: 119.9 ppb) |
| Infant white rice cereal | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 and 2016 (N = 86) | InAs: 21–151 ppb (mean: 105.3 ppb) |
| Toddler/infant rice cereal | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2016 (N = 82) | Total As: 18.0–224 ppb (mean: 124 ppb) InAs: 20.8–126 ppb (mean: 97.8 ppb) MMAs: 4.4–4.8 ppb (mean: 4.6 ppb) DMAs: 3.3–94.2 ppb (mean: 30.5 ppb) |
| Infant formula | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 10) | Total As: 1–2 ppb (mean: 1 ppb) InAs: 0–1 ppb (mean: 1 ppb) |
| Rice cereal (includes hot and ready-to-eat) | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 110) | Total As: 50–810 ppb (mean: 176 ppb) InAs: 20–545 ppb (100 ppb) MMAs: 3–14 ppb (6 ppb) DMAs: 7–493 ppb (63 ppb) |
| Rice cakes | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 59) | Total As: 32–620 ppb (255 ppb) InAs: 23–273 ppb (145 ppb) MMAs: 5–17 ppb (9 ppb) DMAs: 15–477 (123 ppb) |
| Meal replacement/energy bars | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 29) | Total As: 10–130 ppb (mean: 68 ppb) InAs: 5–98 ppb (mean: 50 ppb) MMAs: <LOD DMAs: 6–28 ppb (mean: 13 ppb) |
| Rice beverages | FDA (45) | Commercially available, FDA sampling, 2013 (N = 42) | Total As: 6–320 ppb (mean: 109 ppb) InAs: 1–278 ppb (mean: 60 ppb) MMAs: <LOD DMAs: 5–85 ppb (mean: 28 ppb) |
| Apple juice | FDA (47) | EPA Toxic Elements Program, 2005–2011; Apple Juice Survey, 2011 (N = 144) | Total As: <LOD–45 ppb (mean: 7.2 ppb) |
| Apple juice concentrate | FDA (47) | EPA Toxic Elements Program 2005–2011 (N = 103) | Total As: <LOD–34 ppb (mean: 2.6 ppb) |
| Red wine | FDA (46) | FDA Total Diet Study program, 2006–2013 (N = 32) | Total As: <LOD–24 ppb (mean: 8 ppb) |
Abbreviations: DMA, dimethyl-arsenical species; FDA, US Food and Drug Administration; EPA, US Environmental Protection Agency; InAs, inorganic arsenic; LOD, limit of detection; MMAs, monomethyl-arsenical species.