The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to reduce inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal, a leading source of arsenic exposure in infants. In April 2016, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft guidance to industry proposing a 100 µg/kg (ppb) limit for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals. During 2016, 40 infant rice cereals were collected bi-monthly from January to November from local supermarkets in the College Park, Maryland area. Total arsenic (As) concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) concentrations were determined for samples containing total arsenic ≥ 100 µg/kg using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ICP-MS (HPLC-ICP-MS). Average total As concentrations for the 6 collections were 128, 123, 125, 118, 104, and 75 µg/kg, respectively. Average iAs concentrations for the first 5 collections were 96, 92, 89, 79, and 73 µg/kg, respectively; no samples in collection 6 were speciated as the total arsenic in each sample was less than 100 µg/kg. Collections from January to May had 4 samples above 100 µg/kg iAs; however, all collections after May 2016 were below the proposed iAs limit.

Arsenic in infant rice cereals

255th National Meeting (2018)

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