Everything You Need to Know About Arsenic Contamination in Food — and What You Can Do About it

Arsenic has repeatedly made headlines over the past year after the toxic component was detected several times in apple juice. That sparked several recalls, including one in September that led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  to pull an additional 133,500 cases of juice from shelves.

But all of this raises a lot of questions about how arsenic gets into food in the first place — and whether this is a growing problem. An epidemiologist and food safety expert explain. 

What is arsenic again?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring compound that’s found in the air, water, and soil, per the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It can also be released into the environment through agricultural and industrial processes, including mining and metal smelting. It comes in two forms — organic and inorganic, with the inorganic form being more toxic. (Inorganic arsenic is the type that has shown up in recent apple juice recalls.)

Why is arsenic dangerous?

The biggest concern with arsenic is long-term exposure. That raises the risk of developing skin, lung, and bladder cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the odds of developmental issues, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. 

Arsenic can also cause short-term symptoms, including vomiting, abdominal pain, numbness and tingling, muscle cramps, and diarrhea, per the WHO.

Is more arsenic getting into food than before?

Not necessarily. “It is important to know that, even though there has been an expanded recall of apple juice products due to arsenic contamination, it does not necessarily mean that arsenic contamination in apple juice is a rapidly growing problem,” says Jordan Kuiper, Ph.D., epidemiologist and assistant professor in the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

This particular wave of recalls was linked to the same producer — Refresco Beverages — having higher than acceptable arsenic levels in their apple juice, Kuiper points out.

But the FDA released a Guidance for Industry: Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Apple Juice in June 2023, which determined that 10 parts per billion (ppb) inorganic arsenic in products is achievable under good manufacturing processes. That level used to be set at 23 ppb, and this drop could have influenced the recent recalls, says Wade Syers, DSocSci, extension specialist for food safety at Michigan State University Extension.

How does arsenic get into food?

You can be exposed to arsenic through a few different ways, including breathing in contaminated air. But the biggest way inorganic arsenic gets into food is through contaminated water, Kuiper says.

Inorganic arsenic used to be used as a pesticide, herbicide, and insecticide in the U.S., and it’s naturally present in the groundwater in some countries, Kuiper points out. Some produce can take in arsenic from contaminated soil and water, leading to higher-than-acceptable levels in the fruits and vegetables, Kuiper says.

What other foods are susceptible to arsenic?

In general, the amount of inorganic arsenic found in produce is very low, “assuming it has not been grown in regions with naturally high concentrations of arsenic in soil and water sources or treated with arsenic-based pesticides,” Kuiper says.

Besides apples, root vegetables like sweet potatoes tend to store arsenic in the skin, making it important to peel and wash them to reduce contamination, per Kuiper. “Rice, especially brown rice, is particularly prone to arsenic contamination, though this is again dependent on where the rice is grown, the water used for irrigation/flooding, and whether it was treated with pesticides,” he says. “Prior studies have shown that basmati rice generally has the lowest levels of arsenic, and that rice grown in California generally has lower arsenic levels than those grown in the Southern United States, perhaps due to differences in pesticide use.”

But Syers points out that “the most common source of high levels of inorganic arsenic is contaminated drinking water.”

Can arsenic poisoning be reversed?

In acute poisoning situations, there are some medical treatments like chelation therapy that can be used to reduce the amount of arsenic in the body, Kuiper says. “However, in the much more common situation of chronic, low-dose exposures to arsenic, there is no readily available treatment to mitigate the body burden of arsenic,” he says.

But Kuiper also notes that maintaining a healthy diet may promote anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities that could combat the adverse effects of arsenic exposure on the human body.

How to lower the risk of arsenic exposure

The best way to lower your risk of arsenic exposure is by mixing up your diet. “Eating a varied and nutritious diet can help limit exposure and possibly limit the harmful effects of exposure to contaminants like arsenic,” Syers says.

Kuiper also suggests peeling root vegetables and washing them to reduce arsenic exposure. “Intermixing other types of rice or grains in the diet could reduce arsenic exposure from that source,” he says. “For children especially, reducing fruit juice intake to four to six ounces or less per day can also alleviate exposure from that particular source.” Kuiper recommends having your drinking water tested for arsenic, too. “Private well water users are generally more at risk for higher arsenic contamination,” he points out. And, if you’re growing your own food, it’s important to see if your soil is contaminated as well. 

It can be tough to avoid arsenic entirely, but doing your best to mix up your diet and peeling root vegetables can go a long way toward reducing your exposure.