Gov’t urged to ensure supply of arsenic-free rice

MANILA, Philippines - The government has been urged  to assure the public that rice being sold in the market is safe from arsenic, a highly toxic cancer-causing chemical.

Thony Dizon, EcoWaste Coalition Project Protect coordinator, said over the weekend the Department of Agriculture (DA) must test samples of polished rice to allay consumers’ concern over arsenic in rice.

“The sampling should cover locally grown rice, as well as rice imported from other countries,” he said.

“For transparency’s sake, we suggest that such sampling exercise should involve various food safety stakeholders.

“Being a rice-eating nation of 100 million people, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and presidential assistant on food security Francis Pangilinan need to ensure that all Filipinos, especially the children and other vulnerable groups, have access to safe rice.”

The Codex Alimentarius Commission said arsenic is present in many food due to absorption from the soil and water.

“Rice in particular can take up more arsenic than other foods and due to its high consumption can contribute significantly to arsenic exposure,” Codex said.

Arsenic in rice must not exceed 0.2 mg/kg to protect consumers from excessive exposure, Codex added.

Codex is an international body setting food safety and quality standards.

It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Arsenic is in the WHO’s list of ten chemicals of major public health concern.

A WHO fact sheet said  “arsenic is highly toxic in its inorganic form.”

“Contaminated water used for drinking, food preparation and irrigation of food crops poses the greatest threat to public health from arsenic,” read the fact sheet.

The WHO said long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions.

“It has also been associated with developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity and diabetes,” WHO said.