Toxic heavy metals detected in popular rice brands across America, study shows
Heavy toxic metals could be in the rice you're about to buy at the grocery store.
Healthy Babies, Bright Futures, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that seeks to reduce babies' exposure to toxic chemicals, revealed that arsenic was found in 100% of the 145 rice samples purchased from stores throughout the United States.
"We found four toxic heavy metals in rice – arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury," according to the new report.
"While each contaminant has different health effects, they can contribute to serious risks like cancer, developmental harm including IQ loss and accumulation in the body over time," the report said.
The study included 10 forms of grain and more than 100 brands from stores in 20 different U.S. metropolitan areas, from Seattle to Los Angeles and New York to Miami.
"Arsenic was found at the highest levels, with cadmium next," the report stated.
One in four rice samples exceeded the federal limit set for arsenic in infant rice cereal, according to the study.
"No such limit exists for rice itself – the bags and boxes of rice served at family meals – despite it being widely consumed by infants and toddlers," the report said. "Additionally, cadmium was found in all but one sample, with some showing elevated levels."
Long-term exposure to arsenic from food and water can cause cancer and skin lesions, according to the World Health Organization.
Michael Klein, a spokesperson for the USA Rice Federation, based in Arlington, Virginia, told Fox News Digital that American-grown rice "contains the lowest levels of inorganic arsenic in the world."
"America's rice farmers and rice companies are fully committed to providing wholesome, high-quality and nutritious food."
"America's rice farmers and rice companies are fully committed to providing wholesome, high-quality and nutritious food," Klein said.
"We know that arsenic in food is alarming for many consumers and that you may have questions," he said. "And while we do not agree that there is a public health safety issue as a result of trace amounts of arsenic in rice, we will continue to work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the U.S. rice supply meets any threshold established."
Brown rice grown in the southeast or labeled "grown in the USA" had the highest average levels of heavy metals, data from the study showed.
White rice grown in the southeast showed consistently higher levels of heavy metals, primarily arsenic, than rice grown in California, the data revealed.
Thai jasmine rice and Indian basmati rice, as well as rice grown in California, generally contained lower heavy metal levels than other varieties tested.
However, basmati rice from India and arborio rice from Italy had the highest average cadmium levels, per the study.
Lead and mercury were found at the lowest levels, the study showed.
"The U.S. rice industry does not dispute that there is arsenic in rice," Klein said. "Arsenic is found in virtually everything that grows in the ground."
However, Klein called the data misleading — adding that every example highlighted in the new report is below the recommended guidance of the FDA.
Information provided by the FDA on its website specifies the permitted levels of heavy metals found in food.
As part of its "closer to zero" guidance, the FDA has a higher standard for processed foods intended for babies and young children.
"We hope families come away with simple, practical steps they can take right now to reduce exposure – like cooking rice in extra water and draining it, swapping in other grains like quinoa or barley and choosing lower-arsenic rice types such as California-grown, Thai jasmine or Indian basmati," Healthy Babies, Bright Futures research director Jane Houlihan told Fox News Digital.
"We're also urging the FDA to set enforceable limits on arsenic in all rice, not just baby cereal, to better protect children and families across the country."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mortgage interest tax deduction: How it works and when it makes sense
When you file your income tax returns each year, the mortgage interest deduction (MID) can be one of the most valuable benefits of homeownership. Or it can be worthless. That contradiction exists because the value of the MID depends on whether your itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction, and that depends on how much mortgage interest you paid during the year, your other deductions, and your standard deduction for your filing status and the tax year. Sounds complicated? Well, it is. This embedded content is not available in your region. Dig deeper: What is mortgage interest? In this article: Is mortgage interest tax deductible? How to claim the home mortgage interest deduction Should you buy a home to get the mortgage interest deduction? FAQs Mortgage interest is generally tax deductible. However, you should be aware of some important rules, limits, and exclusions before you claim this deduction on your tax returns. The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) limited the MID to interest paid for the first $750,000 of mortgage debt for loans originated after Dec. 15, 2017. Previously, the limit was $1 million of mortgage debt. For married couples filing separately, those limits are cut in half. The TCJA continued to allow mortgage interest for both a primary residence and a second home to be deducted, but the new law excluded interest paid for home equity loans or home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) unless the funds were used to build, buy, or make significant improvements to the home that secures the loan. Previously, interest paid for up to $100,000 of home equity debt could be deducted regardless of how the funds were used. The previous rules are still important because the TCJA is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025. After the 2025 tax year, the previous rules will again be in effect unless Congress extends the TCJA MID provisions or makes other changes to the MID. To claim the MID, you'll have to itemize your deductions on your tax returns. Itemizing can be complicated and generally makes sense only if your deductions exceed your standard deduction, which is available if you choose not to itemize. For the tax year 2024 — which you will file in 2025 — the standard deduction for most taxpayers is $14,600 for individuals, $29,200 for joint tax filers, and $21,900 for heads of household. Those amounts are "indexed" (i.e., adjusted) for inflation, so they can and typically do change from year to year. Before the TCJA changed the rules at the end of 2017, the standard deduction for most taxpayers was $6,500 for individuals, $13,000 for joint filers, and $9,550 for heads of household. The higher amounts will be in effect until the TCJA through the 2025 tax year unless Congress extends the standard deduction provisions of the law or makes other changes to the standard deduction. Since the standard deduction is indexed for inflation, it's impossible to predict in advance what the amounts will be for 2026 or subsequent years. If you itemize your deductions, you may be able to deduct some or all of your property tax as well as your mortgage interest on your tax returns. The property tax deduction could help you boost your itemized deductions to exceed your standard deduction and make itemizing worth the effort. There's also another reason the value of your MID may vary from year to year: With a typical fixed-rate mortgage, the interest portion of your monthly mortgage payment — the part that may be tax-deductible — gets smaller as a portion of your payment over time. A smaller deduction may diminish your tax savings. The MID is part of the federal tax code. State tax codes typically also allow this deduction. Special rules may apply if you rent out your home for part of the year or use part of your home as a home office for business purposes. As a general rule, the more income you earn and the bigger your mortgage is, the more valuable the MID may be for you if you itemize your deductions and your itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction for your filing status for a given tax year. That said, the MID shouldn't be a reason to get a bigger mortgage — or any mortgage — if you can't afford the monthly payment or you're not financially comfortable with the payment, the other costs of owning a home, and all your other expenses. If you are going to buy a home and itemizing your deductions makes sense for you, the MID could be a nice tax-saving opportunity to take advantage of. Learn more: 8 tax deductions for homeowners This embedded content is not available in your region. It depends on how much housing debt you have. For most borrowers, you can deduct interest payments on up to $750,000 of home loan debt in 2024 — including your primary mortgage and any second mortgages, such as home equity loans and HELOCs. If you're married filing separately, your mortgage interest is tax deductible on up to $375,000 of mortgage loan debt. No, you are not limited to deducting $10,000 of mortgage interest. As long as you itemize your tax deductions, you can deduct interest paid on up to $750,000 of mortgage debt (or $375,000 if you're married filing separately). You can still deduct mortgage interest if you opt to itemize your tax deductions rather than take the standardized deduction. Interest paid on home equity loans and HELOCs are no longer deductible unless you use these second mortgages to buy or build a house, or to make significant home improvements. This rule is in effect through the end of 2025.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Few Stocks Match Coca-Cola's Dividend Stability
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is among the best dividend stocks for a bear market. The company has paid a dividend since 1920 and has raised its annual payout for 63 consecutive years, a streak topped by only a few publicly traded companies. A row of factory workers assembling bottles of sparkling soft drinks on a conveyor belt. The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) operates in a space that offers rare stability, even when the economy takes a hit. Its strength lies in two key factors: consistent demand and the ability to raise prices without losing customers. As a provider of consumer staples, the company benefits from steady demand even during economic downturns. While it isn't immune to challenges, its core operations tend to hold up well when the broader market struggles. In addition, when sales volume dips, Coca-Cola can often raise prices without losing customers. This resilience is reflected in its valuation, both its price-to-sales and price-to-earnings ratios are above their five-year averages. Given its strong fundamentals and track record, The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is well-positioned to continue increasing its dividend in the years ahead. The company's five-year average payout ratio is around 80%, and given its solid cash generation, investors expect growing dividends in the coming years as well. The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) offers a dividend yield of 2.88%, as of June 17. While we acknowledge the potential of KO as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure. None. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Middle East tensions put investors on alert, weighing worst-case scenarios
By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) -Investors are mulling a host of different market scenarios should the U.S. deepen its involvement in the Middle East conflict, with the potential for ripple effects if energy prices skyrocket. They have honed in on the evolving situation between Israel and Iran, which have exchanged missile strikes, and are closely monitoring whether the U.S. decides to join Israel in its bombing campaign. Potential scenarios could send inflation higher, dampening consumer confidence and lessening the chance of near-term interest rate cuts. This would likely cause an initial selloff in equities and possible safe-haven bid for the dollar. While U.S. crude prices have climbed some 10% over the past week, the S&P 500 has been little changed as of yet, following an initial drop when Israel launched its attacks. However, if attacks were to take out Iranian oil supply, "that's when the market is going to sit up and take notice," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. "If you get disruption to supply of oil product on the global marketplace, that is not reflected in today's WTI price and that is where things get negative," Hogan said. The White House said on Thursday President Donald Trump would decide on U.S. involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks. Analysts at Oxford Economics modeled three scenarios, ranging from a de-escalation in the conflict, a complete shutdown in Iranian production, and a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, "each with increasingly large impacts on global oil prices," the firm said in a note. In the most severe case, global oil prices jump to around $130 per barrel, driving U.S. inflation near 6% by the end of this year, Oxford said in the note. "Although the price shock inevitably dampens consumer spending because of the hit to real incomes, the scale of the rise in inflation and concerns about the potential for second-round inflation effects likely ruin any chance of rate cuts in the U.S. this year," Oxford said in the note. OIL IMPACT The biggest market impact from the escalating conflict has been restricted to oil, with oil prices soaring on worries that the Iran-Israel conflict could disrupt supplies. Brent crude futures have risen as much as 18% since June 10, hitting a near 5-month high of $79.04 on Thursday. The accompanying rise in investors' expectations for further near-term volatility in oil prices has outpaced the rise in volatility expectations for other major asset classes, including stocks and bonds. But other asset classes, including stocks, could still feel the knock-on effects of higher oil prices, especially if there is a larger surge in oil prices if the worst market fears of supply disruptions come true, analysts said. "Geopolitical tensions have been mostly ignored by equities, but they are being factored into oil," Citigroup analysts wrote in a note. "To us, the key for equities from here will come from energy commodity pricing," they said. STOCKS UNPERTURBED U.S. stocks have so far weathered rising Middle East tensions with little sign of panic. A more direct U.S. involvement in the conflict could, however, spook markets, investors said. Financial markets may be in for an initial selloff if the U.S. military attacks Iran, with economists warning that a dramatic rise in oil prices could damage a global economy already strained by Trump's tariffs. Still, any pullback in equities might be fleeting, history suggests. During past prominent instances of Middle East tensions coming to a boil, including the 2003 Iraq invasion and the 2019 attacks on Saudi oil facilities, stocks initially languished but soon recovered to trade higher in the months ahead. On average, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% in the three weeks following the start of conflict, but was 2.3% higher on average two months following the conflict, according to data from Wedbush Securities and CapIQ Pro. DOLLAR WOES An escalation in the conflict could have mixed implications for the U.S. dollar, which has tumbled this year amid worries over diminished U.S. exceptionalism. In the event of U.S. direct engagement in the Iran-Israel War, the dollar could initially benefit from a safety bid, analysts said. "Traders are likely to worry more about the implicit erosion of the terms of trade for Europe, the UK, and Japan, rather than the economic shock to the US, a major oil producer," Thierry Wizman, Global FX & Rates Strategist at Macquarie Group, said in a note. But longer-term, the prospect of US-directed 'nation-building' would probably weaken the dollar, he said. "We recall that after the attacks of 9/11, and running through the decade-long US presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the USD weakened," Wizman said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
