Health policies for levels of inorganic arsenic in rice

Impact

Description of impact

This case study describes how basic research to develop analytical methodologies for measuring inorganic arsenic in food, and its subsequent application to rice and rice-based food commodities, led directly to proposals to establish global agreements describing the maximum permissible level of a class I carcinogen, inorganic arsenic, in rice. The impact of the research conducted in Aberdeen is still to be fully developed, but as a result of our research has been identified as absolutely pivotal by food standards agencies in China, USA, the UK, and the European Union, in leading to policy decisions and changes to established practice amongst policy makers under the leadership of the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Impact statusImpact Completed (Open)