Arsenic and Rice: Should You Worry?

Arsenic is a human carcinogen and it is found in nature, so it shows up in our food supply. It is taken up from the soil, and rice does it more readily than other grains, fruits, vegetables, and poultry. Toxic amounts found in drinking water have been known to cause skin, bladder, lung, liver and kidney cancers. Americans, however, are exposed to much lower levels, thanks to regulated water treatment and EPA standards. The amount of arsenic in a community's drinking water is public information and can be accessed by contacting your local utility company. To rid your drinking water of arsenic, you will need an under-the-sink reverse osmosis  filter. Pitcher or faucet filters don't do the job.
How concerned should we be about our daily exposure? According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, there isn't enough data to set a toxic limit on inorganic arsenic in food. Of course, the less you ingest, the better. It is recommended that adults eat no more than 1 1/2 to 2 cups of rice a week. You can also remove up to 50% of the arsenic in cooked rice by rinsing it with water, then cooking it in 6 parts water to one part rice, cooking until it reaches proper texture, and pouring off the excess water.
To check the arsenic levels in your favorite brands, go to Consumer Reports.org
~Epidemiology, 2009 

Nonstick Cookware is Back

The New York State Department of Health has announced the results of various safety tests performed on several popular brands of nonstick cookware. They conclude the products are safe when used properly. 
The villain under fire is PFOA, a compound the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has studied intensely since it was suspected to be a human carcinogen. It has been noted that most of the harmful chemical is burned off of the cookware before it leaves the factory. It was found that new nonstick cookware heated to 356 to 444 degrees F. did emit PFOA, both into the air and into the water that was being heated, but the amounts were "very little." The amounts emitted also declined with each subsequent use. The highest level found was 100 times lower than Consumer Reports concluded to be of little concern to public health. Concerns regarding the breakdown of the product and the release of toxic particles and fumes over time have also been addressed. It has been shown that such a breakdown of materials only occurs when the cookware is heated beyond normal - to temps. above 500 degrees F. At that temp., foods will burn and the handles will melt. When the cookware coating becomes damaged or begins to flake with age, it's time to replace it.
~ Environmental Science Technology, 41:1180, 2007

Ten Years Later...

No proof exists that farm raised salmon is any safer than it was 10 years ago. In 2002, 700 samples of farm raised salmon showed 10 times the amount of PCBs, dioxins, pesticides, and mercury than wild salmon. What is typically called "Atlantic Salmon" is actually farmed in Chile and Canada. Farms in Scotland and Norway also show similar amounts of toxins. Farmed salmon absorb the PCBs and other industrial chemicals from the fishmeal & oils they are fed. Since the 2002 studies, no other tests have been performed. Environmental organizations oppose most salmon farming for the reason that large amounts of wild fish are used to feed the farmed fish, and that waste from the ponds pollute the oceans.
The EPA recommends that consumers eat farm raised fish no more than once a month. Use caution when purchasing frozen fish; packaging labels can be misleading. If it does not say "Wild", it probably isn't.
~ Institute for Health and the Environment, 2013

New Autism Reports

Prenatal folic acid supplements have proven effective in preventing neural tube defects such as spina bifida. A Norwegian study tracking 85000 children recently discovered a 40% reduction of incidences of autism in children born to women who took the B vitamin before and during their pregnancies, compared to women who did not take the supplement. If you plan to become pregnant, be sure to start the supplements before hand; about 6 to 8 weeks. The study also showed that women who started the supplement mid-term did not have similar results; the children had no lower risk of autism. The Center for Disease Control recommends 400 micrograms of folic acid daily for women who are or plan to become pregnant.
~ JAMA, 2013