It seems surreal, but we're talking about something that could happen in about 25 years: rice could become a health-damaging food. We're talking about one of the world's most consumed products, especially in Asia, where a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health found a buildup of inorganic arsenic in rice grains. This is a toxic chemical compound, both naturally occurring and derived from human activity. Rice is a staple food in almost every meal of Asian populations, and according to the study conducted in China, it is precisely these populations that are most at risk.
Climate Change Is Not Good for Rice
Although arsenic has been found in rice over the years, in recent months the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has again updated its data on the potential risks this toxic substance poses. It has been explained that arsenic may be responsible for the increased incidence of certain types of cancer, such as skin, lung, and bladder cancer. The EFSA report focuses on inorganic arsenic, explaining that certain types of foods (rice and rice-based products) pose the greatest risk to the European population. Although arsenic levels are currently generally low in Europe, rice in Asia could become harmful by 2050, with climate change being the main culprit.
The grain in question, as previously explained, already represents in many cases a significant source of inorganic arsenic, and the study examining 13 different rice cultivars confirms this theory. Why is climate change responsible for this situation? Due to rising CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentrations and ever-rising temperatures, the phenomenon of arsenic biaccumulation in rice risks increasing significantly, becoming a real health threat. Suffice it to say that according to the Chinese study alone, by 2050, in Beijing and its surrounding areas, as many as 13.4 million cancer cases are predicted to be linked to the consumption of contaminated rice.
Will We Never Be Able to Eat Rice Again?
An international research team, led by American scientists from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York, collaborated with several institutions to determine how dangerous climate change could make rice. A large workforce was needed to determine the risks of a problem that could become very serious in the near future. Among the studies involved are the Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Nanjing, the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Zhejiang University of Technology. Led by Dr. Lewis H. Ziska of the Environmental Health Sciences Division at New York University, the researchers reached several conclusions.
The study assessed the combined impact of CO2 and temperature on the biaccumulation of arsenic in rice. Taking into account biogeochemical processes analyzed between 2014 and 2023, at least thirty rice varieties (grown in seven Asian countries) would be considered at risk and therefore inedible by that date. The methodology used is called FACE (Free-Air-CO2 Enrichment), which is synergistic with other modeling techniques developed for the investigation. By combining all the collected material, the conclusion was reached that temperatures will continue to gradually rise due to emissions related to human activities, which is why arsenic levels in rice could increase dramatically by 2050.
Fortunately, there are several measures that can be taken to reduce the harmful effects on health. According to Professor Ziska, plant breeding efforts could help minimize arsenic absorption. Furthermore, educating consumers about their exposure to this semimetal would be crucial in mitigating the impact of climate change.
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