Search

[Display omitted] • Many brown rice samples contained hazardous concentrations of arsenic and cadmium. • Concentration of toxic elements in brown rice is grain-size dependent. • Sum of non-carcinogenic risk associated with As and other elements exceeds unity. • Carcinogenic risk from As or Cr in brown rice may be as high as one in every 10,000. • Results can inform the national monitoring program for rice quality and type. Twenty-two brown rice varieties available in the Qatari market were analyzed for essential and toxic elements by ICP-MS. Found concentrations (µg/kg) were: As: 171 ± 78 (62–343), Cd: 42 ± 60 (4–253), Cr: 515 ± 69 (401–639), Pb: 6 ± 7 ( 1 in million, may possibly be > 1 in 10,000 based on conservatively high brown rice consumption rates of 200 g/d or 400 g/d in Qatar. These elevated risks may be applicable to specific population subgroups with diabetic conditions who consume only brown rice. Non-cancer risks are mainly derived from Mn, V, Se, and Cd with a hazard index > 1 from some brown rice samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]