Measurement / residue studyindependent cross-checkabstract checked★ key study I-GRN-117 in-depth review
Egyptian rice had the lowest arsenic levels of 10 countries tested
Geographical variation in total and inorganic arsenic content of polished (white) rice.
Overview
Meharg AA et al.. Environ Sci Technol 2009 · PMID 19350943 · DOI 10.1021/es802612a
Median total arsenic in white rice was 0.04 mg/kg in Egypt versus 0.25-0.28 mg/kg in the USA and France.
Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Compare arsenic in rice worldwide.
- How was the study done?
Laboratory analysis of market rice.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
901 samples.
- What was actually found?
Big differences by country; Egypt lowest.
- How large was the observed effect?
7-fold range.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Where rice comes from matters.
- What are the study's limitations?
Old data; Egyptian inorganic share unknown.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Partly supports lower concern for Egyptian rice.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
European rice higher.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Cannot show current Egyptian levels or health effects.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Meharg AA et al.
- Journal
- Environ Sci Technol
- Year
- 2009
- Identifier
- PMID 19350943 DOI 10.1021/es802612a
- Verification
- verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-26; Crossref works API 2026-10-26
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract/PubMed record
2. Research question
How does arsenic in white rice vary between countries?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Measurement / residue study – Multi-country market-basket analysis of arsenic in polished rice
- Population
901 polished rice samples for market sale, 10 countries
- Country
Multinational incl. Egypt
- Period
not stated in abstract
- Sample size
901 samples (63 speciated)
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Baseline samples not from contaminated areas
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Country of origin
- Comparator
Other countries
- Endpoints
Total and inorganic arsenic; estimated cancer risk
- Statistical methods
Descriptive; regression; risk modelling with US EPA slope
5. Actual results
- Results
Median total arsenic varied 7-fold: Egypt 0.04 mg/kg and India 0.07 lowest; USA 0.25 and France 0.28 highest. Median excess internal cancer risk ranged from 0.7 per 10,000 (Italy) to 22 per 10,000 (Bangladesh) for a 60 kg person.
- Absolute risks
Modelled excess lifetime cancer risk 0.7-22 per 10,000 (countries examined; Egypt not in speciated subset)
- Authors' conclusion
Arsenic content and resulting risks vary widely by country.
6. Strengths
- Large multi-country dataset
- Includes Egyptian rice
7. Weaknesses
- 2009 data
- Egyptian samples not speciated (inorganic fraction unknown)
- Number of Egyptian samples not in abstract
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- some concerns
- Rationale
Market sampling may not represent all supply.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Egyptian median total As 0.04 mg/kg is about 1/6 of US rice (stats/C-GRN-06).
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Partly supports the claim in the Egyptian context: Egyptian white rice had the lowest arsenic of 10 countries, so the concern is smaller there, though not absent.
11. Independent contrary findings
EFSA (I-GRN-06) health concern for European exposure.
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
EU rice (France, Italy) had higher levels.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Important regional nuance.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | some concerns |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | unknown |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
Current Egyptian monitoring data (not found).
15. Linked fact checks
- Concerns about arsenic in rice are unfounded and can be dismissed ('we love arsenic'). – Studies with mixed or unclear results