Investigating the current arsenic contamination scenario in paddy and search for remediation of arsenic in rice by cooking practices: a study focusing on Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Arsenic contamination is not only affecting drinking water but also staple food such as rice. It has become a global issue as a dietary risk among humans. Naturally occurring arsenic in paddy soils gets magnified several folds by irrigating with arsenic contaminated groundwater, which further intensifies the problem. Numerous research is ongoing to reduce the arsenic in drinking water. After a review of various works of literatures, it was found that very little research has been conducted to remediate the As in household level through cooking of rice. To initiate the work as a background knowledge this study will conduct the paddy cultivation and post-harvesting practices in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The objectives of this study will be to monitor the current arsenic exposure scenario in soil-paddy system, to explore the possibility of reducing Arsenic toxicity in the cooked rice by various pre-cooking and cooking methods.