ABSTRACT

Rice consumption has now been established as a well-recognized exposure source of arsenic for many subpopulations. The aim is to investigate the various factors that might exert control on the final arsenic content in cooked rice following the indigenous cooking practice pursued by the rural villagers of West Bengal. It was found that the use of arsenic-rich groundwater for cooking elevates the arsenic concentration in cooked rice (up to 162% than the raw rice), making the rural population of West Bengal particularly vulnerable to arsenic poisoning through rice consumption. Results of our study show that for the cooking method employed, rice variety, background arsenic concentration in raw rice and cooking water arsenic concentration are important predisposing factors that direct the accumulation of arsenic in cooked form.