Chemicals · Metals
Inorganic arsenic in food
The more toxic form of arsenic, found mainly in rice and rice products, some juices, and some well water. FDA background
What's a lot?
EPA's daily reference dose: 0.06 µg per kg of body weight. That is about 0.9 µg a day for a 33-lb toddler and 4.2 µg for a 154-lb adult. EPA's estimate of a daily amount unlikely to cause harm over a lifetime, with safety margins built in. Source
Baby food, cereal, rice, dry (typically 72.8 ppb): a toddler reaches the EPA reference dose with about 12 g (0.42 oz) a day; an adult with about 58 g (2 oz).
ppb means micrograms per kilogram of food: 100 ppb is 100 µg in 2.2 lb of food. A daily limit is about long-run averages; one high day is not the same as eating it every day.
Foods highest in inorganic arsenic
From FDA's Total Diet Study: everyday foods bought around the US and tested as eaten. FDA found inorganic arsenic in 10 of the 10 foods it tested.
The numbers as a table
| Food | Average | A toddler reaches the limit at |
|---|---|---|
| Cereal, crisped rice 2018-2020, found in 3 of 3 Cereal · Cereals Products - Ready to Eat (Shelf Stable) · Breakfast Cereals - Hot And Cold | 93.1 ppb | about 9.7 g (0.34 oz) a day adult: about 45 g (1.6 oz) |
| Baby food, cereal, rice, dry 2018-2020, found in 9 of 9 | 72.8 ppb | about 12 g (0.42 oz) a day adult: about 58 g (2 oz) |
| Rice, white, enriched, cooked 2019, found in 1 of 1 Rice · Flavored Rice Dishes · Sushi | 41.6 ppb | about 22 g (0.78 oz) a day adult: about 100 g (3.5 oz) |
| Baby food, finger foods, puffed snack 2018-2020, found in 8 of 8 | 30.7 ppb | about 29 g (1 oz) a day adult: about 140 g (4.9 oz) |
| Baby food, cereal, mixed, dry 2018-2020, found in 6 of 6 | 26.4 ppb | about 34 g (1.2 oz) a day adult: about 160 g (5.6 oz) |
| Baby food, teething biscuits 2018-2020, found in 8 of 8 | 23.2 ppb | about 39 g (1.4 oz) a day adult: about 180 g (6.3 oz) |
| Baby food, cereal, rice, dry, prepared with water 2017-2018, found in 13 of 13 | 17.3 ppb | about 52 mL (¼ cup) a day adult: about 240 mL (1 cup) |
| Wine, white 2019-2020, found in 2 of 2 Alcohol · Alcoholic Beverages | 11.5 ppb | about 78 g (2.8 oz) a day adult: about 370 g (13 oz) |
| Baby food, juice, grape 2018-2019, found in 3 of 3 | 7.42 ppb | about 120 mL (½ cup) a day adult: about 570 mL (2½ cups) |
| Juice, grape, bottled 2019, found in 1 of 1 | 6.91 ppb | about 130 mL (½ cup) a day adult: about 610 mL (2½ cups) |
"Average" counts samples below the lab's limit as zero. A food high on this list matters only if you eat a lot of it, which is what the last column shows.
Official limits
- FDA action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal: 100 ppb (2020)For infant rice cereal. Applies to inorganic arsenic. A total-arsenic result includes less toxic forms, so it overstates inorganic arsenic. Source
Foods with lab results
No named foods have published results for inorganic arsenic in our sources yet.