Highly contaminated imported rice

Just read shocking news that extremely high levels of lead were found in rice imported into the US, which accounts for 7% or rice sold and consumed in the US.

Analysis of commercially available rice imported into the US has revealed it contains levels of lead far higher than regulations suggest are safe.

Some samples exceeded the “provisional total tolerable intake” (PTTI) set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a factor of 120.

This is going to affect people people who buy rice in asian specialty markets and consume rice from many asian restaurants which use imported rice.

For environmental reasons, I almost exclusively eat rice which is grown in California. I also try to exclusively eat brown rice. My favorite variety is basmati and sometimes long grain.

The levels mentioned in the article are of great concern as they significantly exceed what are considered safe levels of exposure. This is really bad news.

One thing the article says is that rice is particulary vulnerable to picking up pollutants from irrigation supply since a large amount of water is required to soak rice when it grows in paddies.

I guess people should consider eating less rice anyhow. I’m personally a big fan of the Amaranthaceae grains. Amaranth grain in particular does not get enough credit. I believe it is one of the most important plants for humans. Switching to a diet that incorporates Amaranth grain would be a big evolutionary advance for humans.