Assessment of arsenic concentration in rice and risk characterizations in some provinces in the Red River Delta region

Arsenic (As) is a known human carcinogen, uptake of As causes adverse health effects such as cardiovascular diseases, skin diseases, and a variety of cancers (skin, lung). Rice grain is the most consumed cereal in Vietnam and accumulates higher concentrations of As compared to other cereal crops. In this study, the As content in rice and its risk characterization in the Red River Delta region were investigated. Rice samples were collected from traditional markets in Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hung Yen, and supermarkets in Hanoi. The results showed that the average As concentrations in rice samples from traditional markets (0.178 mg/kg; 0.058 - 0.290 mg/kg) were higher than those from supermarkets (0.147 mg/kg; 0.092 - 0.189 mg/kg) (p < 0.05). Rice samples had a total As concentration to meet National technical regulation on rice for national reserve (QCVN 06:2019/BTC). The As concentration in supermarket rice is below the maximum allowable level according to CODEX standard. The chronic daily intake for children and adults is 0.0023 mg/kg/day and 0.0010 mg/kg/day, respectively, within the allowable limits based on CODEX standards.