Toxic Heavy Metals Found in All Brands of Rice Tested for New ‘Healthy Babies, Bright Futures’ Report

Researchers recommend American families take specific actions to reduce risks posed by heavy metals in rice products sold throughout the U.S.

A new report suggests that all types of rice sold in the U.S. may contain arsenic, with every sample tested in a recent study finding traces of the toxic substance, along with other harmful heavy metals.

The findings were released earlier this month by the non-profit organization “Healthy Babies, Bright Futures,” in a new Arsenic in Rice Report (PDF), which includes information on which types of rice families should limit consumption of, and which kinds offer safer alternatives.

Arsenic is a heavy metal and known human carcinogen, measured in two forms: organic and inorganic. Organic arsenic typically passes through the body harmlessly, while inorganic arsenic is toxic at high levels or with prolonged exposure. Inorganic arsenic has been linked to reduced performance on developmental tests in children, as well as neurological issues, lung and bladder cancer, and other serious health effects.

Arsenic in Rice Concerns

Concerns about arsenic in rice date back to at least 2012, when independent testing from Consumer Reports prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin evaluating levels of the heavy metal in rice.

Although the FDA detected inorganic arsenic in almost all of the 1,300 rice samples that it tested over the following year, the agency determined that levels were too low to cause any immediate health damage to individuals. 

However, Healthy Babies, Bright Futures started pointing out in 2017 the potentially harmful levels of arsenic that could be found in rice cereal products, which are one of the first foods many infants eat, and is a common ingredient in many baby foods and snacks.

As a result of these findings and others, a series of toxic baby food poisoning lawsuits have been filed in federal courts nationwide, alleging that children are being diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after being fed baby foods contaminated with toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead.

2025 Arsenic in Rice Report

The new Healthy Babies, Bright Futures report tested 105 different samples of grains from 20 separate urban areas, including heavily populated areas like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami.

Researchers found arsenic in all of the rice samples they tested, which included multiple kinds of rice from different regions of the world. Moreover, the report indicates that at least one in four samples exceeded the FDA’s arsenic limits for infant rice cereal, which was set at 100 parts per billion (ppb) in 2021. However, those levels only pertain to rice cereals that are made for babies.

The research team also found elevated levels of cadmium and mercury in some rice samples, while one brand of saffron-seasoned rice contained lead levels much higher than those in other samples. In addition, California rice, jasmine rice from Thailand and basmati rice from India were found to have lower levels of heavy metals.

Healthy Babies, Bright Futures made multiple recommendations for federal regulators to limit the amount of toxic heavy metals that families are consuming, including setting limits, labeling and requiring testing.

The organization recommended that families take action as well, which can be done in the form of cooking rice like pasta to reduce arsenic levels, as well as using rice alternatives like barley, quinoa, couscous and other substitutes. 

The highest amounts of toxic heavy metals were found in white rice from the Southeastern U.S., brown rice and arborio rice from Italy.

“The persistence of arsenic and cadmium in rice, despite decades of awareness, underscores the need for stronger federal and state action — and continued action by parents to reduce children’s exposures,” researchers said. “While progress has been made in reducing arsenic levels in infant rice cereal, our findings highlight that contamination remains widespread in rice itself — posing ongoing risks to babies, pregnant women, and families who consume rice regularly.”

Toxic Baby Food Lawsuits

The presence of toxic heavy metals in rice and other baby food products has led to multiple research reports, which have since confirmed that many products manufactured and sold by companies such as Gerber, Beech-Nut Nutrition, Plum, Hain, Campbell, Walmart, Sprout and others contain dangerous levels of heavy metals.

Many of these products have been found to contain at least one or more of the following toxic metals—arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, which may increase children’s risk of autism or ADHD.

As a result of these findings, product liability lawyers are pursuing toxic baby food lawsuits for families of children who were fed any of the impacted brands for at least one year, and developed either of the following injuries:

• Autism, diagnosed between ages 2 and 14
• Severe ADHD, diagnosed between ages 8 and 14