Toxicologists Warn of Cancer Risk From Arsenic in Foods

Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the presence of arsenic and other heavy metals in our food. Research has consistently linked exposure to these metals with increased cancer risk and other serious health conditions, with young children being particularly vulnerable.

Heavy metals occur naturally in our environment but can also build up in soil, water and the air as a result of industrial processes and pollution. These metals then become absorbed by plants, including food crops.

In two new studies from the U.S. Society for Risk Analysis, researchers have evaluated the health risks associated with exposure to these metals from common foods like rice, cereals, nuts and vegetables.

Their results will be presented at the society's annual conference in Washington, D.C., on December 12.

In the first study, Felicia Wu, Michigan State University food scientist and incoming president of the Society for Risk Analysis, and colleagues collected data on people's dietary intake of three key heavy metals: lead, cadmium and arsenic. They then analyzed this data to determine whether dietary intake of these metals was associated with adverse health effects. And what they found was startling.

Lead, which is commonly found in old paint, water pipes and contaminated soil, was associated with a moderate to high risk of lung, kidney, bladder, stomach and brain cancers, as well as moderate to high risk for health conditions involving the blood, brain, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system. Lead exposure was most commonly associated with rice, wheat and leafy greens, among other foods.

Cadmium, which is most commonly released into the environment from artificial fertilizer and industrial emissions, was associated with moderate to high risk scores for prostate, renal, bladder, breast, pancreatic and endometrial cancers, as well as conditions involving the kidneys, brain, reproductive system, immune system and general development. This metal was found mostly in nuts, potatoes, seeds, cereals, leafy greens and tobacco smoke.

Lastly, arsenic, which can be found in rice, wheat and leafy greens among other foods, was associated with high risk scores for skin, bladder, lung, kidney and liver cancers, as well as skin lesions, heart disease and disruption to the immune system, brain, reproductive system, kidneys and general development.

In their second study, Wu and colleagues conducted a cancer risk assessment for different food products in the U.S. containing arsenic. Their analysis suggests that every year the consumption of inorganic arsenic may result in more than 6,000 additional cases of bladder and lung cancers and over 7,000 cases of skin cancers in the United States.

This follows on from previous work by Wu and colleagues, published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, which found that babies and young children under 5 are the most highly exposed group to cadmium in common foods. American infants in this age group who regularly consumed rice, spinach, oats, barley, potatoes and wheat had average cadmium exposures that exceeded the maximum tolerable intake levels set by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. In 2021, a U.S. Congressional Report also detailed high levels of heavy metals in infant food on grocery shelves and, more recently, children's fruit puree.

"Results from these studies have important implications for food safety regulations, public health policies, and consumer awareness," Wu said in a statement.