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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/health/indonesian-rice-importer-to-test-foreign-stocks-after-us-arsenic-report/549525
Indonesian Rice Importer to Test Foreign Stocks After US Arsenic Report
An Indonesian consumer watchdog group has urged the government to test rice imported from Thailand after rice exported to the United States was found to contain worrisome level of inorganic arsenic.
“All imported rice should be checked by the Food and Drug Agency (BPOM) to prevent unwanted effects,” Abubakar Siddik, chairman of the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI) North Sumatra, told the Antara News Agency. “We don’t want foreign products imported into this nation to cause a problem for society.”
The US consumer watchdog organization Consumer Reports tested more than 200 boxes of 60 popular rice-based products found on New York area shelves and found elevated levels of arsenic in 32 of them.
While samples containing Thai Jasmine rice contained amounts of inorganic arsenic, the levels were half those found in US-grown rice.
Indonesian rice, which is not commonly found in American grocery stores, was not tested.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Wednesday that it plans to collect data on 1,200 food samples by the end of the year and make its own recommendation on arsenic intake.
The agency said its preliminary data on arsenic in rice products is consistent with the Consumer Reports investigation. It found average levels of inorganic arsenic for various rice products of 3.5 to 6.7 micrograms per serving in about 200 samples.
Consumer Reports warned against taking an alarmist approach to the findings.
“The goal of our report is to inform — not alarm — consumers about the importance of reducing arsenic exposure,” Urvashi Rangan, director of safety and sustainability at Consumer Reports, told Reuters. “The silver lining in all of this is that it is possible to get a better handle on this.”
In Indonesia, rice importer Bulog announced that it would stop importing rice from Thailand if it was found to contain high levels of inorganic arsenic.
“Even though we have memorandum of understanding [to import rice], we can stop importing rice from t^^ if it is proven to contain arsenic,” Sutarto Alimoeso, president director of Bulog, told Metrotvnews.com.
Indonesia imported some 450,000 tons of rice from Thailand between August 2011 and February 2012. The nation, one of the largest rice-consumers in Asia, imported some 1.8 million tons of rice in the same period.
Under an MoU signed by the two countries, Indonesia can import up to 1 million tons of Thai rice a year.
Sutarto said his office contacted the Thailand Trade Ministry and the Indonesian Ambassador in Thailand to discuss the possibility of inorganic arsenic-laden rice.
The Thai officials claimed they found no traces of the possibly carcinogenic element in their rice.
Bulog plans to conduct a test of rice already imported from Thailand, Vietnam and India to see if inorganic arsenic is present.
The Consumer Reports tests determined that rice, which is more susceptible to arsenic contamination than other grains, was likely picking up the element from tainted fertilizer.
Inorganic arsenic is deadly at high doses. It has been linked to a variety of cancers, including skin, lung and bladder, as well as heart disease and other illnesses.
Organic arsenic is believed to be far less harmful, but two organic forms measured — called DMA and MMA — are classified as possible carcinogens, Consumer Reports said.
Food is a major source of arsenic in the American diet, as the chemical is still used in feed for poultry and occasionally hogs to prevent disease. Waste from those animals can contaminate fields when it is used as fertilizer.
A researcher from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) also said that runoff from dumping sites could also contaminate the water in rice paddies.
“The paddy might be planted near a dump site w^^ many things were thrown including batteries or battery acid,” Yadi said on Wednesday. “The soil might have been polluted and is not worthy of becoming a plantation.
"It could also come from fertilizer.”
Arsenic can be found in fruits, vegetables, rice and seafood — all of which are considered healthy.
“T^^ is no such thing as a safe level of arsenic,” said Michael Harbut, a researcher and physician who leads the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Environmental Cancer Program at Wayne State University in Detroit and treats people with arsenic poisoning.
The US FDA urged people to eat a balanced diet consisting of a variety of foods instead of swear off rice.
“Our advice right now is that consumers should continue to eat a balanced diet that includes a wide variety of grains — not only for good nutrition, but also to minimize any potential consequences from consuming any one particular food,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement
JG/Reuters
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