Estimation of total arsenic contamination and exposure in Brazilian rice and infant cereals

Arsenic (As) causes health effects, especially cancer. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) can contain high As concentrations. Using ICP-MS, we quantified the total As (As-t) levels in the main brands of rice (n = 103) and infant cereals (n = 27) consumed by Brazilians. The levels were compared to the maximum limits prescribed by regulatory agencies. We estimated the daily intake (EDI) of As by Brazilians by combining the mean As concentration determined in the white rice samples with per capita daily consumption divided by the average body weight as reported by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in 2010. The possible health risk for consumers was assessed by calculating the margin of exposure (MOE) as prescribed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Moreover, As-t was determined in 11 pesticides used by Brazilian farmers. The As-t levels in the rice ranged from 0.003 to 1.3 mg kg(-1). Approximately 27% of the white rice contained As-t levels above the limit set by Mercosul (0.3 mg kg(-1)) and 45% were above the limit set by the European Commission (0.2 mg kg(-1)). In the infant cereals, As-t levels ranged from 0.003 to 0.243 mg kg(-1). In the pesticides, As-t levels ranged from 0.005 to 0.315 mg L-1. The EDI showed that, on average, Brazilians consume 4.13 mu g As kg(-1) BW weekly. In addition, a low MOE was observed, demonstrating that high use of rice presents a risk of high inorganic (As-i) exposure, which represents a public health concern.