Arsenic in rice from Bangladesh: Geographical variation, potential cancer risk and mitigation options

Arsenic (As) is recognized as a toxic element and has been classified as a human carcinogen (group I) causing skin and lungs and bladder cancers (NRC 2001). Globally groundwater from 107 countries are affected by As contamination released from predominantly geological sources, posing a serious health hazard to an estimated >200 million people worldwide (Naujokas et al. 2013). Arsenic exposure to humans mainly occurs via drinking As-contaminated water and food crops either grown in As-contaminated areas or using As contaminated water for irrigation. Besides drinking water, groundwater is also used for irrigating crops during the dry season, particularly for paddy rice (Oryza sativa). Rice and vegetables are the main foods of population in Bengal delta (Bangladesh and West Bengal state of India). Transfer of As from groundwater into crops has been well documented (Rahman et al. 2009). The presence of As in rice is of major concern to about 3 billion people around the world who consume rice as staple food. In this study, we investigated the geographical variation, potential cancer risks for adults due to the consumption of rice and strategies that could be used to reduce As from paddy rice using water management options. (author)