Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple food crops worldwide. For people fed on rice, toxic elements cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) and mineral nutrients in rice are pivotal to evaluate potential risks of harmful element intake and malnutrition. We collected rice samples of 208 cultivars (83 inbred and 125 hybrid) from fields in South China and determined Cd, As, As species, and mineral elements in brown rice. Chemical analysis shows that the average content of Cd and As in brown rice were 0.26 ± 0.32 and 0.21 ± 0.08 mg·kg−1, respectively. Inorganic As (iAs) was the dominative As species in rice. Rice Cd and iAs in 35.1% and 52.4% of the 208 cultivars exceeded rice Cd and iAs limits, respectively. Significant variations of rice subspecies and regions were found for Cd, As, and mineral nutrients in rice (P < 0.05). Inbred rice had lower As uptake and more balanced mineral nutrition than hybrid species. Significant correlation was observed between Cd, As versus mineral elements like Ca, Zn, B, and Mo (P < 0.05). Health risk assessment indicates that high risks of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic of Cd and iAs, and malnutrition, in particular Ca, protein and Fe deficiencies, might be caused by rice consumption in South China.
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files). The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Dr. Liu Kailou from National Rapeseed Industry Technical System of Jiangxi Province, and Professor Zhang Shihui from Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences were appreciated for their help in sample collection. We also thank Dr. Zhao Li from South China Agricultural University for his valuable suggestions in figure drawing.
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This research was supported primarily by Science and Technology Plan Project from Guangdong province (NO.2021B1212040008).
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Qinghui Liu: investigation, chemical analysis and writing of original draft. Weisheng Lu: investigation assistance and resources. Cuihua Bai: analysis method exploration and supervision. Congzhuo Xu, Maozhi Ye: investigation assistance and chemical analysis. Yongcong Zhu: chemical analysis. Lixian Yao: funding acquisition, methodology, writing, review and editing.
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Liu, Q., Lu, W., Bai, C. et al. Cadmium, arsenic, and mineral nutrients in rice and potential risks for human health in South China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 76842–76852 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27857-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27857-7