The research, published online today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that products containing organic brown rice syrup -- used as a sweetener to replace high fructose corn syrup -- contained up to six times the EPA safe drinking water limit for arsenic. That’s based on arsenic measurements of 17 infant formulas, 29 cereal bars, and 3 energy shots that were purchased from local stores in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The researchers found that the two baby formulas that contained brown rice syrup had arsenic levels that were far above the EPA standard for drinking water and more than 20 times greater than each of the 15 formulas that didn’t contain brown rice syrup. These products were Baby’s Only Organic Dairy Toddler Formula and Baby’s Only Organic Soy Toddler Formula, both made by Nature’s One.
Arsenic levels in the two formulas were also higher than the World Health Orgnanization’s “maximum tolerable daily intake” standard for babies, who are particularly vulnerable to arsenic’s neurological effects because of their small size and developing brain.
Nature’s One responded in this statement that they use “a qualified, world renowned, third-party, independent lab to test arsenic levels in their organic brown rice syrup. Their testing results report undetectable amounts of arsenic at laboratory testing limits.” The company added that it “selected organic brown rice syrup as its carbohydrate source due to its high nutritional qualities.”
Beyond formula, the Dartmouth researchers also found that about half of all cereal bars -- ones they tested as well as dozens of others that they surveyed on the web -- contain organic rice syrup or other rice ingredients and that these had far higher levels of arsenic than those without any rice products.
“There are currently no US regulations applicable to As [arsenic] in food,” write the study authors, “but our findings suggest that the organic brown rice syrup products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi [inorganic arsenic] to an individual’s diet.”
