Vol. 8, Issue 6 (2020)
Bioavailability of arsenic in rice: A potential threat to people of West Bengal, India
Author(s): B Sinha and K Bhattacharyya
Abstract: Rice is a potentially important route of human exposure to arsenic, especially in populations with rice-based diets. However, arsenic toxicity varies greatly with species. The initial purpose of the present study was to evaluate arsenic speciation in rice. The WHO standard for As in drinking water of 10 μg L-1 has been adopted by many countries. Arsenic in water is generally inorganic and can be a mixture of arsenite (As (III)) and arsenate (As V). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency risk assessment for As in drinking water is based on carcinogenicity risk from inorganic As. No intake of inorganic As from food was considered in setting the drinking water standard, and it is now evident that significant amounts can be ingested this way. Arsenic in rice is of special concern because of the much higher levels of As in rice grain compared to other staple cereal crops, coupled with high levels of rice consumption in Asian populations. Moreover, knowledge of speciation of As in rice is critical to understanding the potential toxicity of rice to humans. An effort has been made, through the present study, to take an account of arsenic speciation in rice in the arsenic affected villages of Chakdaha block, Nadia district, West Bengal, India having an arsenic concentration of irrigation water drifted from the shallow tube wells 0.32 mg/l. It appeared very clear from the present study that inorganic arsenic shared maximum arsenic load in rice straw while in grains it is considerably low. As species recovered from rice straw and grain are principally As-III and As-V. Rice grain As has been found to be principally As-III while in straw As-V predominated over As-III. Discussion of the health risk of As in rice has largely been based on its inorganic arsenic content because these species have generally been considered to be more toxic than MMA and DMA and can be directly compared to As in drinking water, assuming equal bioavailability of inorganic As in the rice matrix and in water. The maximum dietary risk of exposure to inorganic arsenic through transplanted aus paddy in the present experiment was calculated to be almost 700% of PTWI (Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake) for an adult of 60 kg bodyweight.
Pages: 2622-2627 | 193 Views 72 Downloads
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How to cite this article:
B Sinha, K Bhattacharyya. Bioavailability of arsenic in rice: A potential threat to people of West Bengal, India. Int J Chem Stud 2020;8(6):2622-2627.
