

Study of lead levels in rice under scrutiny - ern
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22448696

======
ern
The original story previously made the front page of HN at:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5529202](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5529202)

I put a (stupidly unnecessary it seems) moratorium on my children eating rice
because of this scare story, others may have done the same. It also speaks
volumes about the quality of popular health reporting in general.

~~~
fnordfnordfnord
>I put a (stupidly unnecessary it seems) moratorium on my children eating rice
because of this scare story

Meh, it's hard to undo heavy metal poisoning. You can lift the embargo against
the rice with no permanent harm done.

I'm surprised this guy didn't catch his error. He should have known something
was up when his control sample also tested too high, or changed.

~~~
ern
_> Meh, it's hard to undo heavy metal poisoning. You can lift the embargo
against the rice with no permanent harm done._

I think I made the logical choice at the time, based on the info available, by
stopping rice. For my wife, the inconvenience of replacing our primary form of
starch outweighed the long-term risks of brain damage to the children (most
people do seem to be short-term thinkers), and it was a hard sell.

I am now regarded as The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Even if, say, arsenic was found
to be a problem in rice, it will be difficult convincing anyone else.

The harm done is the loss of credibility.

~~~
seanmcdirmid
I don't eat rice from mainland china if I can avoid it; I prefer Thai or
Taiwanese rice when available. Of course, this can be very hard considering
that 99% of the restaurants don't have anything else.

------
gregwebs
Rather than lead, we should be very concerned about arsenic:
[http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-...](http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-
in-your-food/index.htm)

secondary commentary on the article: [http://chriskresser.com/arsenic-in-rice-
how-concerned-should...](http://chriskresser.com/arsenic-in-rice-how-
concerned-should-you-be)

~~~
throwmeaway33
My understanding of arsenic poisoning is that it binds to some proteins that
inhibit some processes in cells. This means it eventually gets cleared from
the system. So as long as you don't get a lethal dose it shouldn't cause long
term damage. There is arsenic in apples seeds and I've never heard of long
term issues from eating a few of those.

Lead on the other hand builds up in your system and causes permanent damage.

~~~
ars
> There is arsenic in apples seeds and I've never heard of long term issues
> from eating a few of those.

That's for two reasons:

1: Because almost no one eats apple seeds - even if you swallow them, they
probably pass through unchanged.

And, 2: There is no arsenic in apple seeds! It has cyanide - which is a
totally different thing.

