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WARNING: Rice with heavy metals

(34 Posts)
Ana Tue 14-Feb-17 11:14:49

Yes, it was on last week - the best way to reduce the amount of arsenic in your rice is apparently to soak it in water overnight before cooking.

Teetime Tue 14-Feb-17 10:45:37

I seem to remember something on one of the food programmes last week about this - I'll look it up.

Nelliemoser Tue 14-Feb-17 09:07:57

As there is little likelihood of anyone funding clean ups of this land the residents in these areas have to live with it.

As much as I love the Peak Distict I would choose where to live very carefully.
It was allegedly the arsenic in the dyes of Napoleon's green wallpaper which slowly sent out fumes and finished him off.
The moral is don't have green wallpaper and live on St Helena.

Badenkate Tue 14-Feb-17 08:39:16

My advice is don't breathe or eat - then you'll be fine.

BlueBelle Tue 14-Feb-17 05:17:55

This information has been in the news for years lucky ducky I m sure most of the food we eat is full of contaminations

absent Tue 14-Feb-17 00:54:25

Nelliemoser Many years ago a friend who is an industrial archaeologist told me where to find enough arsenic to poison the whole of London. There are times it seemed like a good idea…

Nelliemoser Tue 14-Feb-17 00:11:13

Yes I have it was on "trust me i'm a doctor I think."

A month or so ago my geology group had a talk about how many soils etc in areas of the UK have toxins that get absorbed into our food stuffs. Many of these contain potential toxins, some are natural and others are caused by disturbance of the ground in mining.
One of the speakers had done some studies of the lead mining areas and suggested there was evidence that the constant even mild exposure has shown effects of increased aggressive behaviour of young people in Derbyshire compared with similar populations in the neighbouring area of Leicestershire which
has had coal and rock quarrying but not these great deposits of lead.

I frequently drive through Dove Holes on the A6. That whole area is covered in debris from lead mining. The spoil tips are all around the village no one seems prepared to fund making them safe. A lot of this spoil heap dust probably just blows around the area.
I appears that quite a lot of very toxic arsenic and cadmium are present naturally in certain chalk and limestone areas aound the "Jurrasic coasts" Dorset way.

This picture is of Parys mountain on Anglesea.This is a large former copper mine. It is so polluted nothing can grow. The site was first mined for copper 4000 years ago in the bronze age.
When we visited were advised to wash our hands before we ate our packed lunch.

merlotgran Mon 13-Feb-17 23:23:30

Thanks, LuckyDucky. One look at the OP and I'm going to bed with the guitar riff from 'Smoke on the Water' firmly stuck in my head. grin

LuckyDucky Mon 13-Feb-17 23:16:50

Heard about heavy metals and arsenic in rice?

I found a US Food Standards Agency site; it was informative and included a map, showing highest contaminated areas. As cotton wasn't a food source, the farmers in those days were indiscriminate.

Where do these cancerous elements finish? The grain angry The site advised only to buy basmati and to *avoid black
and brown rice*, as they are more carcinogenic.

The advised to only buy US basmati rice from California and/or Pakistan. They included India, but having probed further, I found China and India also have carcinogenic basmati.

Then came the cooking advice, which I'll pass on, despite risking indignant responses.

(Sigh) Fill a large pan with water; agitate the grains.
When the water is milky, pop rice into sieve.
Wash out pan add rice and repeat process.
For the third time, wash out pan, add rice and sufficient water so each grain dances when boiled.

I think I'll learn how to cook Bobotie. I bet one of you well-travelled posters will have cooked or eaten it in South Africa.

Anyone else flummoxed by the news? For us, it's been an unpleasant revelation*