Organic may not always be better: arsenic found in baby formula, cereals

Just because a food is organic does not make it automatically safe: case in point, some products sweetened with organic brown rice syrup, including infant formulas, contain dangerous levels of arsenic.

High levels of arsenic are linked to cancer, chronic diseases, and developmental disturbances, among a host of effects, which is alarming news in light of the fact that a multitude of foods and baby formulations have been found to contain it.

Organic brown rice syrup is often used in place of high fructose corn syrup as what is considered a healthy alternative. High fructose corn syrup has also been linked to a host of problems generally related to obesity and diabetes rates. But brown rice syrup, though ostensibly more natural, also comes at a health price.

A Dartmouth University study found that some infant formulas and some prepared organic foods, such as organic cereal bars, sweetened with the syrup, contain unacceptable levels of arsenic. One of the infant formulas tested contained twice the inorganic arsenic allowed in drinking water – and that standard is for adults. A cereal bar contained 12 times the legal limit for drinking water of 10 parts per billion (ppb). Other high-energy foods tested had 8 to 17 times the limit.

The Dartmouth researchers tested 17 infant formulas, 29 cereal bars, and three energy shot drinks. Two of the infant formulas listed organic brown rice syrup as a primary ingredient – one of which was soy-based and the other milk-based – and both tested at arsenic levels 20 times higher than the other formulas made without organic brown rice syrup.

The report is available Thursday’s Environmental Health Perspectives, but does not list specific brands to avoid. The study’s lead author Brian Jackson said a variety of products purchased at local stores in Hanover, N.H., were included in the test.

The researchers tested for both organic and inorganic forms of arsenic, though it is important to note that the state of the arsenic refers simply to its chemical structure and not to pesticide use. In other words, inorganic forms of the arsenic were found in the majority of the organically (grown without pesticides) foods. Inorganic arsenic is the one that is believed to be the more dangerous.

Dr. Jackson’s concern was primarily focused on the infant formulas, since they often constitute a baby’s sole source of food and thereby expose infants to consistently concentrated levels of arsenic. Unlike cereal bars and energy drinks, infant formula is likely to be continuously ingested. That is a huge problem with arsenic levels which are 20 times higher than government limits for fully grown adults who have completed their physical development. “It’s probably not a good thing for an infant to be exposed to those levels of arsenic,” Jackson said. “We don’t know the effects of long-term exposure.”

Organic foods are generally considered healthier, but that may not always be the case, particularly as arsenic is taken up by rice through largely natural processes. According to Dr. Jackson, rice takes up arsenic through soil because it is structurally similar to silica. And rice takes up silica in order to stand up in the boggy rice field. Different varieties of rice take up different levels of arsenic. Unfortunately, brown rice, which is often touted as the healthy alternative to white rice, takes up significantly more of it.

The Dartmouth researchers hope their findings spur government research into arsenic levels in food. “There is a data base for exposure to arsenic in drinking water,” Jackson said. “But there’s nothing out there on food. It’s time we looked at this and ask whether we need guidelines for arsenic exposure in food.”

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