Is arsenic in rice safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about arsenic in rice during pregnancy?

1. Inorganic arsenic is more dangerous than the organic form, and fetuses, infants, and children are particularly vulnerable to it because of their smaller body sizes and rapid metabolism and growth. 1
2. Arsenic enters the food supply from the environment where crops are grown, with higher levels in certain soils and where arsenic-containing pesticides were once used on food crops. 1
3. FDA research found that cooking rice in excess water reduces both arsenic and the enriched vitamins in the cooked grain, and FDA has issued an action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals. 1
4. Among 229 pregnant women tested at 24 to 28 weeks, rice eaters had a median total urinary arsenic of 5.27 micrograms per liter against 3.38 in those who ate none. 2
5. Eating 0.56 cup (32 g) of cooked rice a day produced a predicted urinary arsenic level comparable to drinking one liter a day of water at the US EPA maximum contaminant level of 10 micrograms per liter. 2

Is arsenic in rice safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Rice is often the only thing that stays down in the first trimester, and that is a reasonable trade. Plain rice, toast, and crackers exist for a reason. If rice is carrying you through nausea right now, that is a short season, not a lifetime pattern.
• Second trimester. Once eating normalizes, this is the trimester to widen the grain rotation. Oats, barley, farro, quinoa, and pasta all fill the same slot on a plate. Rotation is the single most useful habit here, and it costs nothing.
• Third trimester. Nothing changes about the guidance late in pregnancy, but the same principle carries into feeding a baby: FDA set an action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals, which is worth knowing before you start solids.