Assessment of potential health risks from heavy metals in rice grains from Southeast Asia: Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar

Information from the abstract

Heavy metal contamination in rice poses a significant public health concern in Southeast Asia. This study measured seven heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in rice grains from Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar and evaluated the associated health risks, with a focus on gender-based differences. Mean As concentrations exceeded the Codex/EU guideline value in all three countries, and Ni exceeded the EU value in Lao PDR and Myanmar; Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, and Zn remained within reference limits or lacked an internationally established standard for comparison. The non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI), dominated by As and Cr, exceeded the safety threshold of 1 in all population groups. Lead was assessed using the Margin of Exposure (MOE) approach; MOE values below 1 in all groups indicated a renal health concern. The carcinogenic risk, driven mainly by As and Cr, indicated a potential screening-level concern; however, because total As and Cr concentrations were used, these estimates should be interpreted as conservative values rather than definitive risk estimates. Females exhibited higher HI and incremental lifetime cancer risk values than males. These findings, representing a conservative regional assessment, highlight the need for gender-sensitive surveillance, confirmatory speciation studies, and targeted, country-specific food-safety policies.

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This record has an Impact Signal of 89/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: Heavy metals in environment · Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity · Arsenic contamination and mitigation