Arsenic in Rice

TL;DR

The reality is simply this: most rice does indeed contain arsenic, with the levels varying depending on the type of rice and where it comes from.

The important issue of “how much is too much” isn’t really addressed in this article, as that’s a whole other discussion which isn’t easily sorted out. The short answer is that rice that is known to be high in arsenic should be avoided when feeding infants and small children, and eaten in moderation (not every day) by adults.

There are measures you can take to reduced the level of arsenic in the rice you cook yourself, which are discussed below. The easiest is to simply rinse the rice, which can remove about 10 percent of the arsenic. This article discusses – with citations – the evidence that arsenic is indeed present, as well as some ways to reduce it when you cook rice.

Why am I Writing About This?

First off I want to emphasize that this article should not be considered the last word, or even an authoritative word, on the subject of arsenic in rice. Rather, think of it as a survey, or an overview, with information from respectable and reliable sources, most of which are cited.

Social media is awash with unsubstantiated claims that rice contains “high levels of arsenic” along with suggestions, real or imagined, for ways to reduce it. The comments on such posts are often filled with deniers who cite the fact that they’ve eaten rice all their lives without any problems as the definitive proof that arsenic in rice is either imaginary or harmless. And there are comments from people who collapse in panic and declare they will never eat rice again.

Forget all that. Social media posts are algorithm-oriented, often written by AI, and exist primarily to get you to comment or otherwise “engage” with the post. This article (as with everything on the Blork Blog) has none of that. No ads, no algorithms, and I don’t care if anyone comments. In fact I prefer you don’t comment unless you have something useful to add. So hopefully you will find some information below that will help you decide for yourself if this arsenic situation is a problem for you.

Yes, there is Arsenic

In brief, the claims are true: varying degrees of arsenic is indeed found in rice, as described in the studies cited below. It’s mostly naturally occurring (found in the soil where the rice is grown) but it can also arrive in the irrigation water that is used, and sometimes it comes from (or is enhanced by) pollution from local farming or industries where the rice is grown or processed. In particular, pollution from industrial areas can seep into the rice fields when those fields are flooded, which is a normal part of the rice-growing process.

Does All Rice have Arsenic?

A 2020 study conducted by the University of Sheffield^[1] found that “more than half of rice varieties sold in the UK contained levels of arsenic higher than regulations allow for babies and children under five.”

The study report elaborated that the amounts of arsenic were generally safe for adults, but less so for children and infants who are more susceptible to neurotoxic effects of consuming arsenic. You can read the actual study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651320304401 but be warned that it’s an academic paper and is full of science talk and formulae. It includes a section on “health risk calculations” that looks like it’s cribbed from the algebra section of college admissions aptitude test.

The main takeaway from the study (made more readable in an article from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable Food^[2]) is essentially that some types of rice are not suitable for children or infants due to the high levels of arsenic. Brown rice was found to contain more arsenic than white (attributed to the arsenic being concentrated in the bran), and “organic” rice contained more than “regular” rice. However, if you dig a bit you find that the statement about organic rice is misleading. (More on the organic angle below.)

Another report, issued in 2016 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration^[3], bears the title “Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products; Risk Assessment Report”. The document was released for public comment, and is primarily concerned with determining the safety thresholds for arsenic contamination of rice.

The document is huge – 284 pages – but it has a relatively short executive summary starting on page 1 (which is the 16th page of the PDF).

I have not read the document in detail, but the main takeaways I found from the executive summary are similar to the University of Sheffield study:

Confirmation that notable levels of arsenic is indeed found in some rice.
Confirmation that arsenic concentrations are higher in brown rice, although the document emphasizes that white rice is more of a concern simply because so much more of it is consumed.

The bulk of the document is concerned with determining risk thresholds and whatnot, with graphs and talk of “parts per billion” and so on. It’s all there if you want to see for yourself, but that is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say the arsenic is real, and is potentially a problem, particularly for children.

More information from the FDA about arsenic in rice and other can be found in on the FDA’s website but be warned that it is the oculus to a rather deep and apparently never-ending rabbit hole.

What types of rice have the most arsenic?

A number of articles that discuss this. There’s a bit of circularity going on on, as many articles seem to trace back to the same few sources (such as the Consumer Reports articles mentioned below), which is never great from a data point of view.

But it seems fair to state the following:

Brown rice generally has more arsenic than white rice. This is attributed to arsenic being concentrated in the bran, which is what makes brown rice brown. (Cited in multiple articles.)
The Consumer Reports article from 2015^[6] says: “All types of rice (except sushi and quick cooking) with a label indicating that it’s from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas (…) had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in our tests.”

I could not find any specific information on sushi rice from Japan, or Spanish short grain rice. However, an extensive 2025 study report from “Healthy Babies Bright Futures”^[10] flags Italian arborio rice as being particularly high in “heavy metals” (cadmium in particular) but it isn’t very clear where it sits in terms of arsenic.

As to why some rice from Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas have high levels of arsenic, the 2012 Consumer Reports article^[7] says “…(the) south-central region of the country has a long history of producing cotton, a crop that was heavily treated with arsenical pesticides for decades…”

What types of rice have the least arsenic?

The Consumer Reports article from 2015^[6] says:

“Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.”
“White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic-arsenic amount of most other types of rice.

An Ohio State University article^[9] claims that rice grown in the following regions are considered to have the least amount of arsenic because these regions have very little arsenic in their soil and water:

Nepal
Northern India
Northern Pakistan

I could not find a specific citation in the article for this claim.

An article published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine in 2017^[11] found, among other things, that arsenic levels were low for:

Jasmine rice grown in Thailand

Similarly, an article produced by the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program at Dartmouth College^[5] states that basmati rice from the following regions contain relative low (i.e., safe) levels of arsenic:

India
Pakistan
California.

The same applies to:

Sushi rice from California.

Check the “Resources” menu of the Dartmouth article’s web site if you’re ready for a deep dive into the issue.

Organic Rice and Arsenic

In general, the “organic” status of rice has no effect on arsenic because that label is primarily about the use of pesticides and fertilizers in cultivation. Arsenic is currently used as neither a pesticide nor a fertilizer (although arsenic-based pesticides have been used in the past, and are still used in the U.S. and elsewhere for non-agricultural uses, as described in section 2.1.1 of that long FDA PDF document), so the level of arsenic is not a consideration when labelling rice as “organic.”

That said, the University of Sheffield study^[1] states in its “highlights” panel that:

Organic rice contained significantly more (arsenic) compared to non-organic rice.

But in section 3.1 of the paper it says this disparity is due to one sample of organic wild rice which appears to have skewed the results. (Wild rice is not even truly rice, so it shouldn’t even be part of this discussion.) It then concludes:

When data from all rice types were pooled together (i.e., wild, white and brown), there was no statistically significant difference between organically and non-organically grown rice categories

So the takeaway is simply “don’t rely on ‘organic’ cultivation as having any effect on arsenic levels in rice.” This opinion is echoed in the Dartmouth article^[5] and in the 2015 Consumer Reports article^[6], which says specifically: “Rice that’s grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don’t rely on organic to have less arsenic.”

Parboiled Rice

Parboiled white rice, also known as converted rice, is rice that has been processed by boiling the rice in its husk, steaming the rice under pressure, then draining and drying the rice. This removes the bran resulting in what is called parboiled white rice. Parboiled should not be confused with “instant” or “quick cooking” rice.

Fun fact: parboiled rice appears to be an excellent choice if you prefer white rice to brown, but want the extra nutrients of brown rice and you have concerns about arsenic. According to several sources, including an article from nutrition.it.com^[8], the parboiling process removes much of the arsenic from the rice and it has the added benefit of preserving some of the nutrients from the bran. This happens because the steaming step essentially transfers the nutrients from the bran into the rice kernels. I had wondered if it also transfers any arsenic that is present, but could only find references to the arsenic being washed away by the process.

The end result is that parboiled rice appears to be lower in arsenic and higher in nutrients than other white rices because of the nutrient transfer from the bran. However, it is not higher in fibre than other white rice and remains lower in fibre than brown rice.

I should note that researching “parboiled rice and arsenic” is a bit tricky, because many sources refer to “parboiling” when referring to the home cooking process of partially boiling the rice, pouring off the water, then boiling in fresh water to finish cooking. Watch out for that trap if you’re doing more reading on the topic.

Reducing Arsenic When Cooking Rice

In 2023 the Ohio State University “Health & Discovery” website^[9] published an article about arsenic in rice that describes ways to reduce the arsenic when cooking rice at home. The main takeaways are:

Rinse the rice before cooking. This alone can remove up to 10% of the arsenic. (Typically you don’t wash short-grain rice that is used for risotto or paella as that can affect the quality of the dish; but that is a culinary consideration not a health one.)
Cook rice the way you cook pasta; boil it in a lot of water and drain off the water when the rice is cooked, then put a lid on the pot and let is steam for 10 minutes. This can remove between 40% and 60% of the arsenic in the rice, but it flies in the face of convention. Most people balk at the idea of cooking rice like this, but I’ve been doing it successfully for many years. The details around this are a whole separate conversation, but be aware that almost all articles about reducing arsenic in rice recommend this method.
After cooking the rice and pouring off the water, rinse the cooked rice with hot water. OK, Ohio State University suggests this, but it doesn’t say how much additional arsenic is removed with this final rinse, and personally I draw the line at this one. While I have used the “pasta method” for years, I do not, and will not, rinse it at the end of cooking. But you do whatever feels right for you.

Final Takeaways

While the articles I’ve read and cited here don’t always agree on all points, they are generally in agreement on the following points:

Be particularly careful when feeding rice or rice products to young children and infants.
Rinse rice before cooking. Exceptions are for short-grain rice used for dishes such as risotto or paella, but these exceptions are for culinary reasons, not health ones.
Use the “pasta” method where you boil the rice until it is just done, then pour off the excess cooking water, cover it and let it steam for 5-10 minutes. This works well when making plain rice, but isn’t suitable for more complex rice recipes such as pilaf, jollof, jambalaya, or any of the many “one pot” rice dishes that many of us enjoy.
Avoid eating rice every day, especially if you don’t cook it using the so-called pasta method. Vary your diet by eating other grains, such as quinoa, farro, bulgur, etc.
White rice is generally lower in arsenic than brown rice, but it is also lower in fibre and vitamins. Use your judgment and trade-off in a way that makes sense to you. (And consider using parboiled white rice for its bump in nutrients.)
Low arsenic levels are generally found in basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, as well as U.S.-grown sushi rice. Jasmine rice grown in Thailand is apparently also low in arsenic.
High arsenic levels are generally found in rice from the southern U.S. (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri) as well as Bangladesh.
“Organic” farming of rice has no effect on arsenic levels, so don’t use that label as a guide.
Be aware that rice isn’t just that white stuff on your plate at dinner; rice is also used in breakfast cereals and many other processed foods, where you cannot determine the origin of the rice.

Sources

[1] University of Sheffield study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651320304401

[2] University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable Food’s report on the study: https://sheffield.ac.uk/sustainable-food/news/half-uk-rice-breaches-limits-arsenic-children-warn-scientists

[3] 2016 report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): “Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products; Risk Assessment Report” https://www.fda.gov/media/96071/download (PDF)

[4] FDA’s website section on arsenic in food: https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/arsenic-food

[5] Dartmouth College’s report: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/arsenicandyou/arsenic-in-rice-and-rice-products/

[6] Consumer Reports article from 2015: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

[7] Consumer Reports article from 2012: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm

[8] nutrition.it.com article: https://nutri.it.com/is-there-less-arsenic-in-parboiled-rice

[9] Ohio State University “Health & Discovery” article from 2023: https://health.osu.edu/wellness/exercise-and-nutrition/how-to-reduce-arsenic-in-rice

[10] Healthy Babies Bright Future report from 2025: https://hbbf.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Arsenic-in-Rice-Report_May2025_R5_SECURED.pdf (PDF)

[11] U.S. National Library of Medicine report from 2007: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1892142/