Impossible you say. Not so, says recent research that confirms the presence of arsenic in our food, water, air, and soil. The fact is you may actually be picking your poison.
What’s arsenic?
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element widely found in the earth’s crust. It is a metalloid, which means it has qualities of both a metal and a non-metal, though it is most often referred to as a metal. Inorganic arsenic is found in environments combined with oxygen, chlorine, sulfur, or ores. It is naturally found in soil, and rocks and minerals, mostly ones with copper or lead.
Organic arsenic is typically combined with carbon and hydrogen. Generally, organic arsenic is not thought to be toxic like inorganic arsenic. Seafood typically has organic forms of arsenic, which has been theorized to be a lot less damaging than inorganic arsenic.
Arsenic is a white or colorless powder with no smell and almost no taste. In our everyday life, we take in miniscule amounts of arsenic in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Diet is our biggest supplier of arsenic to our bodies.
Both organic and inorganic arsenic is expelled from our bodies through urination. The most obvious difference is that organic arsenic will leave our bodies in days but inorganic arsenic can take months or longer.
Believe it or not, here are some shocking sources of arsenic.
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.
A 2004 study found that kids who drank arsenic-laden water at levels above five bbp were found to have lower IQs. It has also been linked to cognitive functioning learning disabilities, memory problems and poor concentration.
Beer and Wine
A study of Dartmouth men who had two and a half beers a day had 30 percent higher level of arsenic levels than nondrinkers. And women who had five or six glasses of wine had a 20 percent higher level of arsenic than nonconsumers. The cause is probably two-fold; the water used by brewers and wine-makers, and the use of diatomaceous earth in the brewing process that is known to harbor arsenic. There is a change underfoot to move away from use of this material because of the health hazard it presents to the warehouse workers.
Air
Inhaled inorganic arsenic can increase the risk of lung cancer as evidenced by workers in smelters, wood treatment plants, mines, glass production, chemical and pesticide factories, and residents who live near smelters. Also, people who live near waste sites have an increased risk of lung cancer.
Diet
Arsenic is seemingly everywhere. According to Consumer Reports, a 2010 study of EPA findings revealed that 24 percent of arsenic intake is from our vegetable intake. Fruits and vegetable juices followed with 18 percent and rice coming in a close 17 percent. This is true for most people.
Among foods, fish and shellfish had highest level of organic arsenic, which is thought to be less toxic than its inorganic cousin.
"After we accounted for exposures via water, we still saw high levels of exposure from food," says Kathryn Cottingham, PhD, professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth. However, she adds, "We can't say much about the potential for harm because we don't know the health risks yet for the levels we found."
The Cottingham study demonstrated that Brussel sprouts have very high levels of arsenic in them. It showed that arsenic in soils is highly attracted to sulfur compounds in Brussel sprouts and other “super veggies” such as kale, cauliflower, and broccoli. It is also speculated that the water used on the plants may be contaminated with arsenic from ground sources.
Because seawater naturally has arsenic, fish contain organic arsenic. That type was found to be nearly seven and a half percent higher in people who regularly ate salmon, sardines, swordfish and tuna as compared to those that ate fish once a month.
Two theories vie for our attention: 1) the organic type of arsenic metabolizes into an inorganic type, or 2) the organic forms are just as toxic as the inorganic types. More research is needed. But if you don't want to eliminate these foods, enjoy them in moderation.
"My advice," says Cottingham, "if there are foods that are high in arsenic, just don't eat them all the time." Sage advice, madam, sage advice.