The Study
Arsenic levels in rice brands sold in Kampala: an experimental study to show the modifying effect of boiling, soaking and washing
This study just checked how much arsenic was in a few types of rice and saw what happened when people boiled or soaked them. But it didn't prove that those methods actually made the rice safer — because the water they used was even dirtier than the rice!
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Rice in Kampala has bad stuff called arsenic, and the water people use to cook it has even more. Washing or soaking the rice doesn’t help—it might make it worse.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 533 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—people eating rice cooked in this water may be getting more arsenic than from the rice alone, increasing long-term health risks.
- 2Rice had 1.4–2.4 ppm arsenic.
- 3Tap water had 3.5 ppm arsenic.
- 4Washing, boiling, or soaking rice in this water didn’t lower arsenic levels.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene
Year
2023
Authors
L. F. Sembajwe, Joshua Nfambi, Allan Lugaajju, A. Namaganda, E. L. Acen, R. Kalyesubula
Related Content
Claims (5)
Rice sold in Kampala, Uganda, contains arsenic levels between 1.4 and 2.4 parts per million, which exceed global safety limits for food, and this exposure is linked to long-term health risks for people who eat rice regularly.
Boiling, soaking, or washing rice with water that contains arsenic does not lower the amount of arsenic in the rice and might leave it unchanged or even increase it.
Rice and cooking water in Kampala contain high levels of arsenic, and regularly testing these sources is required to prevent harm to people's health.
In Kampala, the water used to cook rice has 3.5 parts per million of arsenic, which is higher than the arsenic found in all rice brands tested, so the water is the larger source of arsenic exposure.
Cooking rice with water that contains high levels of arsenic does not remove arsenic from the rice and can add more arsenic to it.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.