Climate change to make world's most consumed staple food toxic, research finds

Climate change is poised to render the world’s most widely consumed grain more toxic, according to new research.

A study published in The Lancet on Wednesday found that rising temperatures and carbon dioxide emissions could lead to rice absorbing increased amounts of arsenic, a heavy metal that poses a risk of cancer and other diseases, particularly to infants.

This news is alarming for billions of people in developing regions who rely heavily on rice in their daily diets.

A six-year study by research teams in the US and China examined how various rice species respond to rising greenhouse gas emissions, with results that could have far-reaching global implications.

Lewis Ziska, a researcher, plant physiologist, and associate professor at Columbia University, has spent three decades studying the impact of climate change on the nutrients in staple crops. He expressed shock at the findings of this study.

“Previous work has focused on individual responses-some on CO2 and some on temperature, but not both, and not on a wide range of rice genetics,” Ziska said. We knew that temperature by itself could increase levels, and carbon dioxide by a little bit. But when we put both of them together, then wow, that was really something we were not expecting.”

Ziska expressed deep concern over the development, aware that half of the global population relies on rice. “You’re looking at a crop staple that’s consumed by a billion people every day, and any effect on toxicity is going to have a pretty damn large effect,” he said.

The research discovered that increased levels of both carbon dioxide and temperature dramatically escalated the amount of arsenic and inorganic arsenic in the rice.Inorganic arsenic exposure is associated with several cancers, including skin, bladder and lung, as well as heart disease and neurological issues for infants.

Parts of the world with high rice consumption are at an elevated risk of developing cancer, according to research.Scientists have been cognizant of the potential dangers of arsenic levels in rice, though this study has heightened concerns.”

There is a toxicological effect of climate change relative to one of the most consumed staples in the world,” Ziska said. “The consumption is one of the hallmarks of whether you’re going to be vulnerable to that effect.”

Researchers are exploring the development of rice strains that are less likely to absorb the toxic metal while encouraging consumers to consider alternatives.