Environmental Health Risk Assessment of Fe, Zn, As, Cd and Pb Concentration in Selected Asian Rice Grain (Oryza sativa)

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the concentration of chemical elements in food grains (Oryza Sativa). A total of eight brands of rice grains was selected which are commonly sold in major hypermarkets in Malaysia. The selection was based on the countries of origin (COO) namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan and Taiwan. A total of 16 rice grain samples included both polished and unpolished rice grains in order to determine the concentration of Fe, Zn, As, Cd and Pb. From the laboratory result, it was found that the concentration of Fe, Zn, As, Cd and Pb was ranged from 0.067-14.446 mgkg^‑1, 0.308-12.335 mgkg^‑1, 0.000-0.048 mgkg^‑1, 0.000-0.604 mgkg^‑1 and 0.000-0.418 mgkg^‑1 respectively. The rice grains samples from Vietnam, China and Cambodia showed that carcinogenic cancer risk for both adults and infants’ group (Cumulative lifetime cancer risk, CLCR >1x10^-4).