Cadmium, arsenic and lead accumulation in rice grains produced in Senegal river valley

Abstract

Exposure to Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), and Lead (Pb) in short or long term can cause health problems in humans. Rice is particularly susceptible to heavy metals contamination. Rice is the major staple food of different developing countries like Senegal leading to high exposure of the population to heavy metals if the rice is contaminated. In Senegal, two types of rice are consumed: local rice mainly produced in the Senegal river valley and imported rice from Asian countries. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine heavy metals accumulation in rice grains produced in Senegal or imported. Samples of five rice varieties produced in three different areas of the Senegal river valley and samples of imported rice from Japan, Thailand and Pakistan were analyzed for As, Cd and Pb contamination. The results showed that all samples were conform in term of contamination by As, Cd and Pb. Changes in heavy metals contamination were noticed between some rice varieties and according to localities. They were not a significant difference in the risk of exposure to heavy metals between the consumption of local produced rice and imported rice. However, the high rice intake of Senegalese could affect the safety of dietary intake of these metals by rice.