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link to the actual report: https://hbbf.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Arsenic-in-Rice-Report_May2025_R5_SECURED.pdf https://hbbf.org/sites/default/files/2025

link to the actual report: https://hbbf.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Arsenic-in-Rice-Report_May2025_R5_SECURED.pdf https://hbbf.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Arsenic-in-Rice... This rang my "fraud" detector in my head: 1. a random .org site that sounds too much like rah rah save the children 2. spammed across many news sites and reddit and now hacker news all in a short time span but after reading the report it seems pretty good The take-away I got was buy rice grown in California, Thailand, or India. Soak beforehand if you really want to reduce bad stuff

johnea 1y ago
Thanks for reading the report and providing the tl;dr. Another thing that caught my eye as I scanned the article was "rice products" which is obviously not just rice, and levels exceeded for "infant rice cereal". So, it did sort of seem aimed at the market of inducing panic in new moms.
PaulHoule 1y ago
Also rice is a lot worse than other grains and brown rice is worse than other rice. Asian people in particular should diversify their diets. I'd note that Asian-Americans already have high PFAS levels because they use rice cookers.
- BoomerOK 1y ago
  Do you have a source about PFAs from rice cookers? My understanding is that Teflon in cookware, used at recommended temperatures, doesn't release PFAs. It's the Teflon manufacturing process that releases PFAs.
  - wenc 1y ago
    Teflon rice cookers don't really release PFAS at appreciable levels. Teflon is remarkably stable (and one of the reasons it was DuPont's miracle discovery). PTFE's degradation point is 260C, but rice cookers only cook up to 100C (controlled). The only source of PTFE is if they scratch or flake off over time, but this is usually visible. Teflon cookware are more problematic in non-stick pans, where they do get heated to higher temperatures, especially for stir fries.
  - PaulHoule 1y ago
    This doesn't blame rice cookers but it points out a large difference https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2023/mount-sinai-researchers-find-asian-americans-to-have-significantly-higher-exposure-to-toxic-forever-chemicals https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2023/mount-sinai-r... These people think it might be seafood https://www.biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/ACE_PFASs_seafood_071924.pdf https://www.biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloa...

johnea 1y ago

Thanks for reading the report and providing the tl;dr. Another thing that caught my eye as I scanned the article was "rice products" which is obviously not just rice, and levels exceeded for "infant rice cereal". So, it did sort of seem aimed at the market of inducing panic in new moms.

PaulHoule 1y ago

Also rice is a lot worse than other grains and brown rice is worse than other rice. Asian people in particular should diversify their diets. I'd note that Asian-Americans already have high PFAS levels because they use rice cookers.

BoomerOK 1y ago
Do you have a source about PFAs from rice cookers? My understanding is that Teflon in cookware, used at recommended temperatures, doesn't release PFAs. It's the Teflon manufacturing process that releases PFAs.
- wenc 1y ago
  Teflon rice cookers don't really release PFAS at appreciable levels. Teflon is remarkably stable (and one of the reasons it was DuPont's miracle discovery). PTFE's degradation point is 260C, but rice cookers only cook up to 100C (controlled). The only source of PTFE is if they scratch or flake off over time, but this is usually visible. Teflon cookware are more problematic in non-stick pans, where they do get heated to higher temperatures, especially for stir fries.
- PaulHoule 1y ago
  This doesn't blame rice cookers but it points out a large difference https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2023/mount-sinai-researchers-find-asian-americans-to-have-significantly-higher-exposure-to-toxic-forever-chemicals https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2023/mount-sinai-r... These people think it might be seafood https://www.biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/ACE_PFASs_seafood_071924.pdf https://www.biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloa...