Inorganic arsenic in food exposure “raises a health concern,” flags EFSA

31 Jan 2024 --- Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes in humans, including some forms of cancer, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warns. According to the EU agency, the main contributors to dietary exposure to the toxic chemical are rice, rice-based products, grains and grain-based products.

“Experts concluded that low to moderate exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause cancers of the skin, bladder and lung, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, infant mortality, congenital heart disease, neurodevelopmental effects, ischaemic heart disease, respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease, atherosclerosis, decreased birth weight and skin lesions,” an EFSA spokesperson tells Nutrition Insight.

“For its assessment, EFSA considered the increased incidence of skin cancers associated with inorganic arsenic exposure as the most relevant harmful effect. The experts concluded that ensuring protection against skin cancer will also be protective against other potentially harmful effects.”

EFSA defines inorganic forms of arsenic as chemical compounds that do not contain carbon-arsenic bonds. Such forms include oxides, chlorides, sulfides, arsenites and arsenates and can form naturally in the soil and groundwater or as a result of human activity.

Organic arsenic compounds do contain carbon-arsenic bonds found naturally in seafood and marine environments. 

 Mitigating impact
The spokesperson asserts that EFSA’s opinion focuses on the “public health risk related to the presence of inorganic arsenic in food” and does not include “advice about reducing dietary exposure.”

“A balanced and varied diet generally reduces the risk of exposure to potential food risks. Balancing the diet with a wider variety of foods could help consumers to reduce their intake of inorganic arsenic.” 

The spokesperson points out that the dietary exposure assessment used for the opinion states that: “the use of water with relatively low iAs levels as typically found in Europe could, in general, lead to a decrease of the arsenic levels during food preparation. An example is pre-rinsing/washing rice before cooking or boiling the raw rice using a large water–rice ratio and draining the excess water afterward.”

  “Those looking for advice on food that contains inorganic arsenic are recommended to check with their national authorities,” it is further stated. 

EFSA recommends pre-rinsing rice before cooking or boiling the raw rice using a large water-to-rice ratio and draining the excess water.Risk assessment 
EFSA’s risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food, published in the EFSA Journal comes after a request by the European Commission (EC) for an updated evaluation of the risk to human health that takes into consideration updated exposure information and newly available scientific findings on the toxicity of the chemical. 

EFSA then conducted a comprehensive literature review aiming to identify human and animal toxicology publications relevant to the hazard assessment of inorganic arsenic, published since 2009. 

Using epidemiological human data for the hazard assessment of inorganic arsenic collected through studies in dose-response modeling, EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain established a “safe or acceptable” level of exposure. 

“Based on EFSA’s risk assessment of 2009 and on EFSA’s chronic dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic of 2021, the EC set and reviewed harmonized maximum levels of arsenic in several foods,” the spokesperson says. 

Based on the updated risk assessment, EFSA has identified several gaps in research. While it is known that arsenic may damage DNA, more research is required to understand the underlying molecular mechanism. Individual variations in susceptibility also need further investigation, as well as how the chemical can lead to epigenetic alterations and the associated disease risk. 

More research is also needed to improve understanding of the interplay between epigenetic and genetic alterations induced by inorganic arsenic and the health outcomes that pre-, perinatal, and early-life exposure to arsenic may have on adult life. Further guidance on the use of human data in risk assessments of this sort is also set to be developed. 

The spokesperson elaborates: “At present, EFSA is also assessing the potential risks linked with exposure to organic arsenic in food in two separate opinions. Once these risk assessments are completed — that is expected by June 30, 2024 for small organoarsenic species and by December 31, 2024 for complex organoarsenic species — the possible risks of combined exposure to organic and inorganic arsenic in food is expected to be assessed by March 31, 2025.”

“EFSA’s opinion was published and shared with risk managers — the EC and EU member states — which will carefully consider EFSA’s scientific advice as part of discussions on appropriate risk management options.” 

Last year, a study conducted in the US found arsenic and other potentially toxic chemicals in rice cereals, infant formula, puffs and purees.

By Milana Nikolova