Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in a Wide Range of Food Matrices using Hydride Generation - Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.
Published on: September 1, 2017
Potential Exposure to Arsenic from Infant Rice Cereal
Courtney C Carignan1, Tracy Punshon2, Margaret R Karagas3
1Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Background:
Rice is known to be high in arsenic, including in infant rice cereal. Although arsenic in drinking water is currently regulated, there are currently no US regulations regarding arsenic concentrations in food.
Objective:
We used published values to estimate arsenic exposure via rice cereal relative to breast milk or formula for 6- to 12-month-old infants in the general US population.
Results:
We found that arsenic exposure from 3 servings of rice cereal exceeded that of formula made with water containing arsenic at 10 μg/L, the US Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that rice cereal can markedly increase arsenic exposure among US infants relative to breast milk and formula.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison
Teratogenicity
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

