Arsenic and cadmium contents in Brazilian rice from different origins can vary more than two orders of magnitude

Brazil is a major producer of rice, but there is not enough information about As and Cd in rice grown under different conditions in this country. Here, As and Cd were determined by ICP-MS and species of As by HPLC-ICP-MS in Brazilian husked rice, covering diverse cultivars and regions, as well as upland and flooded production systems. Significant differences were observed for contents of both elements according to the origin of rice. All samples were below the maximum limit for Cd (400 mu g/kg) set by national legislation, while nine samples presented total As above the legislation limit (300 mu g/kg). From 24 samples analyzed for As species, 42% showed iAs above the European limit for production of food to infants (100 mu g/kg). The total As content in samples from Mato Grosso state presented a maximum value of 6 mu g/kg, which combined with low Cd content make interesting further studies.