Signes-Pastor et al. 2018 — Infant arsenic exposure increases during transition to solid foods, particularly with rice cereal consumption
This study measured urinary arsenic speciation in 15 U.S. infants before and during weaning to quantify early-life inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure from dietary sources. Paired urine samples at 4 and 6 months of age revealed a 3.8-fold increase in the sum of urinary arsenic species (iAs + MMA + DMA) during the weaning period. Consumption of rice cereals, fruits, and vegetables during early weaning were each positively correlated with increased urinary arsenic concentrations, highlighting a critical window of dietary exposure vulnerability in infants.
Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Sample size | 15 | infants |
| Female | 8 | — |
| Male | 7 | — |
| Median urinary iAs at 4 months | 0.8 | µg/L (estimated from text) |
| Median urinary iAs at 6 months | 1.2 | µg/L (estimated from text) |
| Fold-change in sum of arsenic species (4→6 months) | 3.8 | × |
| Spearman ρ for rice cereal intake vs. urinary arsenic sum | 0.90 | p = 0.03 |
| Spearman ρ for fruit intake vs. urinary arsenic sum | 0.70 | p = 0.03 |
| Spearman ρ for vegetable intake vs. urinary arsenic sum | 0.86 | p = 0.01 |
| Limit of detection (LOD) | 0.011 | µg/L |
| U.S. EPA/WHO drinking water MCL for iAs | 10 | µg/L |
| U.S. FDA proposed action level for infant rice cereal | 100 | µg/kg |
| EU maximum level for infant rice cereals | 100 | µg/kg |
Methods
Urinary arsenic speciation (iAs, MMA, DMA, arsenobetaine) was analyzed by ion chromatography-ICP-MS (IC-ICP-MS) at Queen’s University Belfast. Household tap water was measured by quadrupole ICP-MS. A comprehensive 3-day food diary was collected at 4 months (liquid diet only) and 6 months (during weaning to solid foods). Paired spot urine samples were collected on day 3 of the food diary. The LOD was 0.011 µg/L for total arsenic and all arsenic species. Quality control included NIST SRM 1640a (100±0.58% recovery) and ClinChek urine controls (91–108% recovery range).
Implications
This study provides evidence supporting the U.S. FDA’s proposed action level of 100 µg/kg inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals and the EU’s maximum level of 100 µg/kg. The findings suggest that stricter regulations on iAs content in fruits, vegetables, and other complementary foods marketed for infants may be warranted, particularly those grown in arsenic-contaminated agricultural environments. Early-life iAs exposure during weaning represents a critical developmental window where intervention through food selection and agricultural practice changes could reduce long-term health risks associated with arsenic exposure.
Wiki pages updated on ingest
- iAs
- MMA
- DMA
- breast-milk
- formula
- rice
- fruit
- vegetables
- infant-cereal
- FDA-action-level-arsenic-rice-cereal
- EPA-MCL-arsenic-drinking-water
- EU-maximum-arsenic-infant-foods
Page history
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