Arsenic Concentrations in Rice: As per the recent study published in Lancet Planetary Health links climate change to increased arsenic levels in rice.
o Soil chemistry shifts under climate change promote arsenic absorption by rice plants.
o Health risk models considered population size, rice consumption, and flood-irrigated farmland across 7 Asian nations – Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
o Rising arsenic could increase risks of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other arsenic-related health problems by 2050.
o Flooded rice fields allow plants to absorb arsenic from water, worsening the impact under climate change.
o Inorganic arsenic in rice can cause cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other chronic health issues.