Risk assessmentindependent cross-checkfull text checked★ key study I-GRN-06 in-depth review
EU food safety assessment of arsenic
Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food.
Overview
EFSA CONTAM Panel. EFSA J 2024 · PMID 38239496 · DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8488
Arsenic exposure from food, mainly rice, is a health concern; the EU limits arsenic in rice.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: high
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Arsenic risk
- How was the study done?
Risk assessment
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
EU population
- What was actually found?
Health concern; rice main source
- How large was the observed effect?
MOE 0.2-2
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Variety and regulated rice reduce exposure
- What are the study's limitations?
Uncertainties
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts 'no problem'
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Directly applicable
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Individual risk from normal portions
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- EFSA CONTAM Panel
- Journal
- EFSA J
- Year
- 2024
- Identifier
- PMID 38239496 DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8488
- Verification
- verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-25; Europe PMC full text PMC10794945 (regulation limits read from EFSA's reproduction of Reg. (EU) 2023/915; EUR-Lex itself could not be fetched)
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- full text
- Conflicts of interest and funding
EFSA panel; declarations of interest managed by EFSA (not reviewed).
2. Research question
Hazard and risk characterisation of dietary inorganic arsenic
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Risk assessment – Scientific risk assessment (official body)
- Population
EU population
- Country
EU
- Period
2024
- Sample size
not applicable
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Dietary inorganic arsenic
- Comparator
Reference point
- Endpoints
Cancer (skin, bladder, lung) and other outcomes
- Statistical methods
BMDL05; margin of exposure
5. Actual results
- Results
Reference point BMDL05 0.06 ug/kg bw per day (skin cancer). MOEs for adults 2 to 0.4 (mean) and 0.9 to 0.2 (95th percentile), raising a health concern. Full text: main contributors to exposure were 'Rice', 'Rice-based products', 'Grains and grain-based products (no rice)' and 'Drinking water'. Full text reproduces EU maximum levels (Reg. (EU) 2023/915): non-parboiled milled rice 0.15 mg/kg; parboiled and husked rice 0.25; rice flour 0.25; rice waffles/crackers/cakes 0.30; rice for infant and young child food 0.10; non-alcoholic rice-based drinks 0.030 mg/kg.
- Absolute risks
Not applicable (MOE approach)
- Authors' conclusion
Exposure to inorganic arsenic raises a health concern.
6. Strengths
- Authoritative
- EU-specific
7. Weaknesses
- Uncertainties acknowledged
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- not assessable
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Contradicts dismissal in C-GRN-06.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Directly applicable.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Authoritative.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | high |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | not replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
Egyptian rice arsenic levels.
15. Linked fact checks
- Concerns about arsenic in rice are unfounded and can be dismissed ('we love arsenic'). – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim