Arsenic in Rice Tied to Human Genetic DamageTuesday, 23 Jul 2013 02:36 PM
High levels of arsenic in rice grown in certain regions of the world
have been shown to cause genetic damage in humans.
A new study by University of Manchester scientists, working in
collaboration with researchers at the CSIR-Indian Institute of
Chemical Biology in Kolkata, has proven a link between rice
containing high levels of arsenic and chromosomal damage in people
who eat a lot of rice as a staple.
In recent years, researchers have reported high concentrations of
arsenic in several rice-growing regions around the world. The new
study discovered that people in rural West Bengal eating rice as a
staple had higher rates of genetic damage, suggesting rice grown in
some regions of the world may pose a greater risk.
The study, published in the Scientific Reports, examined at
the frequency of "micronuclei" damage — a tell-tale sign of
chromosomal damage that has been shown to be linked to cancer — in
more than 400,000 individual cells extracted from urine samples from
volunteers.
The research team said their work raises concerns about health
impacts of consuming high arsenic rice as a staple, particularly by
people with relatively poor nutritional status — perhaps as many as
a few hundred million people. The scientists added that it’s unclear
how relevant the findings are people in the U.S. and other affluent
nations, with lower consumption of rice and better nutritional
status, but they said further research is warranted.
"Although concerns about arsenic in rice have been raised for some
time now, to our knowledge, this is the first time a link between
consumption of arsenic-bearing rice and genetic damage has been
demonstrated," said David Polya, who led the Manchester team. "As
such, it vindicates increasing concerns expressed by the European
Food Safety Authority and others about the adequacy of regulation of
arsenic in rice."
Ashok K Giri, M.D., who led the Indian research team, added:
"Although high arsenic in rice is a potential threat to human
health, there should not be any panic about the consequences,
particularly as the health risks arise from long-term chronic
exposure. We can avoid high arsenic rice by taking proper mitigation
strategies for rice cultivation; moreover, one CSIR institute in
India has already identified a number of Indian rice varieties which
accumulate lower concentrations of arsenic, so we can easily address
future human health risks with proper mitigation strategies.
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"Results of this study will not only help to understand the toxic
effects caused by this human carcinogen but also these results will
help the scientists and regulatory authorities to design further
extensive research to set improved regulatory values for arsenic in
rice, particularly for those billions of people who consume 10 to 50
percent rice in their daily diet."
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