Yes, rice contains arsenic. In fact, most foods do — it’s a naturally-occurring element that’s all around us. It’s even in the air we breathe. Arsenic is absorbed by plants — usually in very low amounts. However, rice has been shown to absorb relatively high amounts of it. While arsenic is toxic and has been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, we usually consume so little of it that it’s not a problem. Still, people who consume very high amounts of rice over long periods of time (such as those on certain Asian diets), have been shown to have higher levels of arsenic in their bodies than people who consume it less frequently.