[witch_power]

‘Worrisome’ Arsenic Level Found in Baby Formula, Study Finds

A rice-based ingredient that sometimes contains arsenic was found in infant formula, prompting researchers at Dartmouth College to say there is an “urgent need” for regulatory limits on the carcinogen in food.

Two of 17 infant formulas tested listed organic brown rice syrup, which may contain arsenic, as the primary ingredient, and one had a total arsenic concentration level up to six times the U.S. federal limit of 10 parts per billion for drinking water, according to a study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

While arsenic has been recognized as a contaminant in drinking water, there are currently no federal thresholds for arsenic in juices or most foods. Legislation was introduced Feb. 8 in the U.S. House of Representatives calling on the Food and Drug Administration to establish standards for arsenic and lead in fruit juices.

“In the absence of regulations for levels of arsenic in food, I would certainly advise parents who are concerned about their children’s exposure to arsenic not to feed them formula where brown rice syrup is the main ingredient,” Brian Jackson, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-16/-worrisome-level-of-arsenic-found-in-baby-formula-study-fin...

[witch_power]

‘Worrisome’ Arsenic Level Found in Baby Formula, Study Finds

A rice-based ingredient that sometimes contains arsenic was found in infant formula, prompting researchers at Dartmouth College to say there is an “urgent need” for regulatory limits on the carcinogen in food.

Two of 17 infant formulas tested listed organic brown rice syrup, which may contain arsenic, as the primary ingredient, and one had a total arsenic concentration level up to six times the U.S. federal limit of 10 parts per billion for drinking water, according to a study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

While arsenic has been recognized as a contaminant in drinking water, there are currently no federal thresholds for arsenic in juices or most foods. Legislation was introduced Feb. 8 in the U.S. House of Representatives calling on the Food and Drug Administration to establish standards for arsenic and lead in fruit juices.

“In the absence of regulations for levels of arsenic in food, I would certainly advise parents who are concerned about their children’s exposure to arsenic not to feed them formula where brown rice syrup is the main ingredient,” Brian Jackson, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-16/-worrisome-level-of-arsenic-found-in-baby-formula-study-fin...