Potential health risk of total arsenic from consumption of farm rice (Oryza sativa) from the southern Caspian Sea littoral and from imported rice in Iran.

In this study, Arsenic (As) was measured in several varieties of imported and local cultivated rice. Soil samples collected from rice farms situated in south Caspian Sea (Iran) were also studied. The mean concentration of As in imported rice, local farmed rice and soil, were determined as 0.28, 0.39 and 3.80 μg g(-1) dry weight, respectively. Estimated daily intake of As through human consumption of imported and local produced rice was 0.77 and 1.074 μg day(-1) kg(-1) B.W., respectively. These values are much lower than the tolerable daily intakes estimated by JECFA. The As concentration in the soil (3.80 μg g(-1) dry) was below acceptable limit for agricultural soil of 20.0 mg kg(-1) as recommended by the European Community (EC). No correlation between the As concentrations in rice and soil samples was found (p > 0.05).