J HEALTH POPUL NUTR 2010 Dec;28(6):578-584 ISSN 1606-0997 | $ 5.00+0.20 ©INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR DIARRHOEAL DISEASE RESEARCH, BANGLADESH Arsenic and Cadmium in Food-chain in Bangladesh—An Exploratory Study Shafiqul Islam Khan1, A.K. Mottashir Ahmed1, Mohammad Yunus2, Mahfuzar Rahman2,4, Samar Kumar Hore2, Marie Vahter3, and M.A. Wahed1,5 1Laboratory Sciences Division and 2Public Health Sciences Division, ICDDR,B, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh, 3Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and 4Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, NY, USA, and 5Health and Nutrition Wing, Hodavasi Chawdhury & Company, Dhaka, Bangladesh ABStrACt Arsenic contamination of tubewell water is a major public-health problem in Bangladesh. In the recent years, the use of shallow and deep tubewell water for irrigation and the use of excess amount of cheap fertilizers and pesticides containing cadmium pose a serious threat of contamination of arsenic and cad- mium in food. In an exploratory study, arsenic and cadmium were measured in foods from Matlab, a rural area in Bangladesh, that is extensively affected by arsenic and the economy is agriculture-based. Raw and cooked food samples were collected from village homes (households, n=13) and analyzed to quantify con- centrations of arsenic and cadmium using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Washing rice with water before cooking reduced the concentration of arsenic in raw rice by 13-15%. Rice, when cooked with excess water discarded, showed a significant decrease in arsenic concentration compared to that cooked without discarding the water (p<0.001). In contrast, concentration of cadmium did not decrease in cooked rice after discarding water. Cooked rice with discarded water had significantly lower concentration of arsenic compared to raw rice (p=0.002). Raw rice had higher concentration of arsenic compared to raw vegetables (p<0.001); however, no such difference was found for cadmium. Compared to raw vegetables (e.g. arum), concentration of arsenic increased significantly (p=0.024) when cooked with arsenic-contaminated water. Thus, the practice of discarding excess water while cooking rice reduces the concentration of arsenic but not of cadmium in cooked rice. However, water generally not discarded when cooking vegetables to avoid loss of micronutrients consequently retains arsenic. The results suggest that arsenic and cadmium have entered the food-chain of Bangladesh, and the cooking practices influence the concentration of arsenic but not of cadmium in cooked food. Key words: Arsenic; Arsenic contamination; Cadmium; Cooking process; Food; Bangladesh INtrODUCtION Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a major public-health concern in Bangladesh and else- where (1-3). Chronic toxicity of arsenic in humans from arsenic-contaminated drinking-water occurs in 61 of 64 districts in Bangladesh, affecting mil- lions of people (2). The maximum permissible level of arsenic in drinking-water recommended by the Correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed to: A.K. Mottashir Ahmed Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory Laboratory Sciences Division ICDDR,B Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212 Bangladesh Email: mottashir@icddrb.org Fax: 880-2-8812529 World Health Organization (WHO) is 10 µg/L and, in Bangladesh, it has been adjusted to 50 µg/L by the local authorities (3). According to the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the previ- ous provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) for inorganic arsenic was 15 μg/kg body-weight (equivalent to 2.1 μg/kg body-weight per day or ca. 130 µg per day for a subject of 60 kg body-weight). However, since the previous PTWI is no longer ap- propriate, the Committee has withdrawn it. In its 72nd meeting, held in Rome, on 16-25 Febru- ary 2010 (Summary and conclusions, issued on 16 March 2010), the JECFA determined a lower limit for inorganic arsenic on the benchmark dose for a 0.5% increased incidence of lung cancer (BMDL0.5) of 3.0 μg/kg body-weight per day, i.e. 2-7 μg/kg body-weight per day, based on the range of es- timated total dietary exposure (4).