Rice

One study tested 1,300 samples of white rice and discovered that parboiled rice had the highest rates of inorganic arsenic. Medium-grain rice from California had the lowest rate of arsenic presence. Oddly enough, there aren't U.S. Food and Drug Administration enumerated arsenic limits for rice, juice, beer or just about any other food we consume. Inorganic arsenic is a known carcinogen.

Researchers in the U.K. have discovered that frequently consuming rice with high levels of arsenic led to genetically damaged cells which sometimes led to cancer. A startling fact generated out of one study found that more than ten percent of rice in China, Pakistan and Bangladesh had arsenic concentrations exceeding 200 ppb. In the U.S., 50 percent of the rice was estimated to have arsenic at those levels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lowered its standard for arsenic exposure in 2001 to ten parts per billion or ppb.

Consumer Reports suggests restricting rice eating to half a cup twice a week. Who can disagree?

Water

Those who know say that arsenic in water is, arguably, one of the greatest public health threats today. The standard for water is the same as rice, ten ppb. One should know that private, deep-water drinking wells are not regulated by any governmental entity. Arsenic tends to be higher in wells or water from groundwater sources than those from surface sources such as lakes or reservoirs. So if you rely on your own well, have your water periodically tested by a lab for pollutants and other chemicals.

If you are getting your water from a government source, it more than likely contains fluoride. The kicker is that the fluoride added to most city water systems is contaminated with arsenic. A simple change from one type of fluoride to the other could drastically drop inorganic arsenic contamination by 99 percent. Unfortunately, most cities don’t even recognize there is a problem.