TITLE:
Assessment of Arsenic in Rice and Cooked Rice in Meherpur, Bangladesh: Associated Health Risks Implications
AUTHORS:
Tasnim Saekh Antik, Sadia Islam Mou
KEYWORDS:
Arsenic, Rice grain, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Cooked Rice, Health Risks
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.13 No.1,
January
31,
2025
ABSTRACT: Arsenic is a toxic element. Chronic exposure to arsenic can pose a variety of health problems including cancers, lung disease, skin lesions, diabetes, gangrene, reproductive disorders, hypertension, and heart disease. Globally the concern of arsenic is growing day by day. Addressing this concern, the study aimed to assess the arsenic level in raw rice grain and rice cooked with tubewell water and rainwater. The study was conducted at the Sholotaka Union of Gangni Upazila in Meherpur District of Khulna Division, Bangladesh in 2023. For this purpose, seven raw samples including rice grain, rainwater and tubewell water samples and six cooked rice samples were analyzed. Rice and water samples were digested using the USEPA method-3050B in Arsenic Center Jashore, under Asia Arsenic Network, Japan. The arsenic level in the samples was tested using the HG-AAS method using a Shimadzu model AA7000 (Japan) Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The study’s findings revealed that arsenic concentration in rainwater samples consistently displays 0 mg/l indicating the absence of arsenic in this sample. Three (03) tube well water samples and three (03) raw rice grain samples showed a significant variation in arsenic concentration. The mean value of tubewell water samples T1, T2, and T3 was found 0.53 ± 0.003 mg/l, 0.31 ± 0.003 mg/l, and 0.65 ± 0.002 mg/l, respectively. Whereas raw rice grain samples RG1 showed a mean of 0.607 ± 0.007 mg/kg, RG2 at 0.458 ± 0.008 mg/kg, and RG3 at 0.7145 ± 0.001 mg/kg. The study found that rice cooked with tubewell water contained a higher arsenic concentration than rice cooked with rainwater. The most prominent finding of this study was that cooked rice using rainwater had a lower amount of arsenic than the raw rice grain. So, it is clearly said that using rainwater can minimize the amount of arsenic. Furthermore, the study indicates that the health risks associated with arsenic exposure have increased. Estimated daily intake (EDI) values for cooked rice samples ranged from 3.07 to 5.47 μg/kg body weight/day, exceeding safe limits. Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) values varied from 10.2 to 18.2, indicating significant potential for non-carcinogenic health effects. Lifetime Cancer Risk (LCR) values ranged from 0.461% to 0.821% exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acceptable risk threshold of 0.01%, which reflects a heightened cancer risk. The study suggests that people in the study area should use rainwater instead of tubewell water for their cooking purposes. Furthermore, rainwater harvesting should be prioritized in this area to address arsenic issues.