Inorganic arsenic contamination of rice from Chinese major rice-producing areas and exposure assessment in Chinese population

This study examined the total arsenic (As-t) and inorganic arsenic (As-i) content in the main rice growing area of China. The results were compared with other countries and then used for dietary exposure assessment. A total of 446 rice samples from 15 main rice-growing provinces and autonomous regions of China were collected and then divided into unpolished and polished rice. Total arsenic and arsenic species were analyzed in a total of 892 subsamples using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled ICP-MS, respectively. National As-t means were 255 mu g/kg of unpolished rice and 143 mu g/kg of polished rice. As-i was found to be the predominant species and mean levels were 209 mu g/kg of unpolished rice and 108 mu g/kg of polished rice, respectively. Exposure assessment to As-i in polished rice has been calculated for the margin of exposure (MOE), which highlights the fact that As-i levels in the Chinese rice should arouse public health concern.