Permaculturist Health

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>]

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm 


- White rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas, which
account for 76 percent of domestic rice, generally had higher levels of
total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in our tests than rice samples from
elsewhere.
- Within any single brand of rice we tested, the average total and 
inorganic arsenic levels were always higher for brown rice than for white.
- People who ate rice had arsenic levels that were 44 percent greater 
than those who had not, according to our analysis of federal health 
data. And certain ethnic groups were more highly affected, including 
Mexicans, other Hispanics, and a broad category that includes Asians.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] Arsenic in rice
From: Kathryn Marsh
As I understand it the problem in the USA is particularly bad because 
the arsenic levels in insecticides used on cotton were so high that they 
damaged the following rice crop, so varieties were bred that can 
withstand high levels of arsenic in the soil. I've now found that 
Italian rice is also very high in arsenic - in this case it is because 
of high levels in rocks. Which is also the problems in Bangladesh where 
the new artesian wells dug by the UN to end the huge infant mortality 
caused by contaminated surface run off have turned out to be as toxic in 
heavy metals as the shallow ones were in pathogens. Its a nightmare. In 
fact the brands of rice I mostly buy are from low arsenic areas in 
Northern India and pretty safe. Most Indian basmati is from these safe 
areas. Most Chinese rice is also safe because the Chinese spotted the 
problem a long time ago and have been applying strict controls because 
they were losing too many useful citizens. It isn't arsenic free but the 
levels should be much safer than American, Bangladeshi, or Italian. I 
find the last very distressing because although basmati would be our day 
to day rice we tend to have several different varieties of risotto rice 
in the house at any given time - we are risotto obsessives. I've also 
got Spanish valencia, for paella, in the cupboard, which has 
intermediate levels, and Camargue red, which is another bad one. I'm not 
going to throw them away, but I won't replace. The studies seem very 
clear that cooking in double the normal amount of water and throwing the 
excess waater away cuts the level by up to half, so I guess that us 
going to be the way to go in the future. But obviously it doesn't work 
for the aforementioned risotto or paella or for any of the other methods 
where the liquid is completely absorbed. Oh, and I see that Vietnam and 
Taiwan tend to have particularly high levels as well.

Wheat is simply grown on different soils and, as you suggest, with 
different irrigation, so there has never been a need to breed it for 
arsenic resistance