Proposition 65: New "Naturally Occurring" Level Proposed For Rice

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently proposed levels of inorganic arsenic in rice that would be deemed "naturally occurring" and thus exempt from the Proposition 65 warning requirement. This is the first time in twenty-five years that OEHHA has taken action to give life to the naturally occurring exemption.

Arsenic

Inorganic arsenic is found in the environment from both natural and anthropogenic sources, including geologic processes, pesticides, and arsenic-contaminated irrigation water. Examples of anthropogenic arsenic contamination include arsenic-contaminated soil near and around arsenic smelters and the use of arsenical pesticides and herbicides in old orchards and cotton-growing regions. And while arsenic in rice is also (and likely mostly) the result of plant uptake of arsenic from the soil, the amount and form of arsenic (organic vs. inorganic) in the soil depends on various factors, including soil chemistry and