Is the arsenic in your rice actually dangerous?

Yes, in small but real amounts, and no one needs to panic over an occasional bowl. A 2026 Consumer Reports test found measurable arsenic in every one of 52 rice products checked, with about 4 in 10 high enough that eating one serving daily for years could raise long-term cancer and type 2 diabetes risk.

How arsenic gets into rice

Rice absorbs more arsenic from soil and irrigation water than most other crops because it's grown flooded, which pulls naturally occurring and industrial arsenic out of the ground more efficiently than crops grown on dry land. This isn't a contamination scandal at one brand. It's built into how the plant grows, which is why Consumer Reports found arsenic in every single one of the 52 rice products it tested in its July 2026 investigation, spanning white, brown, basmati, jasmine, arborio, and sushi rice.

What the new testing actually found

Of those 52 products, 42% had average inorganic arsenic levels that Consumer Reports says would meaningfully raise the risk of skin cancer, bladder cancer, and type 2 diabetes for someone eating one serving a day over time. Several products, including a jasmine brown rice that tested at 155 parts per billion, came in above the 100 ppb ceiling the FDA sets for infant rice cereal, a limit that doesn't apply to anything adults or older children eat. Close to half the samples also had detectable lead. The lowest reading, 32 ppb in a basmati rice, shows the gap between brands can be large even within the same rice type.

Why there's no rule for the rice you actually eat

The FDA set an action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal back in 2020, after years of testing showed infants, who eat relatively more rice per pound of body weight than adults, faced outsized exposure during a period of rapid brain development. But that guidance stops at the baby food aisle. For every other rice product on the shelf, no federal limit exists at all. Consumer Reports has pushed the FDA to extend arsenic limits across the rice supply for over a decade; the agency hasn't done it. Dr. Michael Greger, a physician who tracks nutrition research at NutritionFacts.org, argues that for a known carcinogen, regulatory targets "should be as close to zero as possible," a standard current rice rules don't come close to meeting.

Which rice is actually lower in arsenic

The testing is consistent on a few patterns. Brown rice generally carries more inorganic arsenic than white rice of the same variety, because arsenic concentrates in the outer bran layer that milling removes. Basmati and sushi rice tend to test lower than other types regardless of color, and rice grown in California, India, or Pakistan tends to run lower than rice grown in parts of the southern United States, where soil carries more legacy arsenic from historical pesticide use on cotton fields. None of this means other rice is dangerous in a normal diet. It means if you eat rice daily, the type and source you choose isn't a random detail.

How to cut your exposure without giving up rice

Two kitchen habits make a real, measurable difference. Rinse rice before cooking, and cook it the way you'd cook pasta: boil it in a larger volume of water than the package calls for, let it cook for a few minutes, then drain and finish it in fresh water. That single change can cut inorganic arsenic levels by half or more. Consumer Reports' own serving guidance is to treat a quarter cup of dry rice as one serving and to cap intake around five servings a week of lower-arsenic types like basmati or sushi rice, fewer for other types, rather than eating rice as the base of every meal. Boxed rice side dishes are worth skipping too, not for the rice itself but because the pre-made spice mixes in several tested products carried higher lead levels than the plain grain.

Our take

Rice isn't something to fear, but it isn't arsenic-free either, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone. The honest picture is a crop that concentrates a natural contaminant more than most food does, sitting in a regulatory gap that only covers infants. If rice is a daily staple in your house, rinsing it, parboiling it, and leaning toward basmati or sushi rice over brown rice from the southern US is a small habit change with real evidence behind it, not a reason to panic over tonight's dinner.

This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a clinician before changing anything, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a condition.