02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

SUBSCRIBE

DEBORAH BLUM SCIENCE 06.19.12 03:42 PM

A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you

please)

3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

Don't miss the future

Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
In the early 20th century - enthusiastically supported by the U.S. government - the most
the print and digital editions of the magazine.
popular pesticides were arsenic compounds. How popular? In the year 1929, almost 30
million pounds of lead arsenate and calcium arsenate were spread across this country's
Subscribe
fields and orchards.
Already a subscriber? Sign in

1/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

And how enthusiastic was the government? Well, in 1935, on a weekly radio program
SUBSCRIBE

sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the host suggested that the old-
time school rhyme "A is for Apple" be changed as follows:

A is for Arsenate/Lead if you please/Protector of Apples/Against Archenemies.

Yes, that enthusiastic.

Still, the FDA was besieged by angry fruit growers demanding to know why the
government was alerting consumers to the fact that farmers put poisons on fruit and
vegetables. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture - an agency far more enthusiastic
about pesticides - wrote an angry letter to the FDA head: "We urge very strongly that
when radio talks of this kind are under consideration, full weight be given to the
probable reaction of growers to them and its resultant effect on the relations existing
between Department representatives and the industry."

I'm indebted to the work of public health historian, James Whorton, for the information
above. A more detailed history of arsenic pesticides can be found in his 1974 book,
Before Silent Spring: Pesticides and Public Health in pre-DDT America. As the book title
indicates, the arsenate pesticides were edged out in the years after World War II, with
the rise of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, like DDT, and organophosphates, like
malathion. Even so, arsenate pesticides were not officially bannedin the United States
until the 1980s. (And modified arsenic pesticides such as MMA and DMA are still
approved for use on cotton).

Their story remains a fascinating one. An important one. And one that still affects us.
The residues of lead arsenate and calcium arsenate still haunt us, tainting acres of
farmland still in use today. Scientists say that a major source of inorganic arsenic in rice
from the American southeast is from pesticide residues, seeping from lands once used
to raise cotton. During the early 20th century, calcium arsenate was the number one
pesticide used by growers to3fight theARTICLES
FREE cotton boll
LEFTweevil. "There's a legacy of arsenic in
THIS MONTH

some of those fields," Joshua Hamilton, a senior toxicologist with the Marine Biological
Laboratory, told me recently. Don't miss the future
Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
In other countries, the use of arsenic pesticides continued longer. China, for instance,
the print and digital editions of the magazine.
reportedly continued using the pesticides past the year 2000. And continued illegal use
of lead arsenate is suspected there, partly due to the arsenic contamination of apple
Subscribe
juice concentrate imported from China and used in drinks in this country.

Already a subscriber? Sign in

2/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

According to the FDA: "Juices, particularly apple juice, are frequently consumed by
SUBSCRIBE

young children, who are the most susceptible population to exposure to arsenic and
other heavy metals. Since FY2005, through FDA's toxic elements in foods program, the
agency conducts targeted testing for arsenic in apple juice. FDA started looking at
arsenic (and lead) in apple and other juices more closely under this program due to the
increase of juice and juice concentrates imports into the United States." The agency is
scheduled to announce the details of a study on arsenic in the American diet later this
month.

We should remember that tests of arsenic in food products shows only trace, in the
part-per-billion, amounts. In apple juice, the highest reported finding, according to
Consumer Reports, was 55 ppb. A recent Dartmouth College study of arsenic in rice
products found levels ranging from 7 to 128 parts ppb. These are not, in anyway, acutely
toxic levels. But it's also worth remembering that arsenic can be dangerous at very low
levels, linked to diseases ranging from diabetes to heart disease. It's for that reason that
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets a standard of 10 ppb for drinking water
and, as Inoted in an earlier post, some public health researchers would like to see that
standard pushed even lower.

One of the reasons that so many people would like the FDA to release its own report is
that you can't really compare a drinking water standard to a food standard. We
consume water every day. We might eat a cereal bar - one of the products tested by
Dartmouth - a couple times a week. So in order to make sense of those higher food
numbers for arsenic, it would be very helpful to get a reading from our leading food
regulatory agency.

As we wait on that report, I've started wondering if geography labeling of foods would
be a useful plan for consumers. Beyond what I buy at the local farmers' market, I'd like
to know what's served up in the grocery story, where my apple juice comes from, where
my rice is grown, and so on.3
AndFREE
it's that point LEFT
ARTICLES that brings us back to the story of arsenic
THIS MONTH

pesticides and how they were used - and where.

Don't miss the future
Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in

3/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

SUBSCRIBE

There's actually a very long historyhere because arsenic is a very old poison; in Europe
it was used to kill rats during the black plague years of the 14th century. Compared to
that, farmers were actually slow to adopt the use of poisonous compounds on their
crops. Arsenic pesticides didn't arrive in the United States until the 1860s, when they
were used to fight the Colorado potato beetle. Lead arsenate wasn't introduced until the
1890s when it was used against the gypsy moth. From that point on, though, U.S.
farmers embraced it. My home state of Wisconsin offers this warning and adviceeven
today for people who farm or live where old orchards once stood.

By the 1920s, U.S. fruit growers were plastering on lead arsenate in such amounts that
they were starting to poison their customers. In 1919, the Boston Health Department
destroyed arsenic contaminated apples because people were getting sick. The follow
year, it had to do it again. In 1919, California health officials discovered with alarm that
arsenic residues tended to stick to fruit, meaning the poison was hard to remove. A
historyfrom Washington State University notes, however, that until the DDT era farmers
continued to use the compounds because they were the most effective. That report also
notes that arsenic tends to concentrate in the top layer of the soil and - thankfully - that
most food crops don't take it3up FREE
in any measurable
ARTICLES LEFT way.
THIS MONTH

Rice is an exception to that. Scientists have discovered that the rice plant, because it's
Don't
designed to pull silicon out of the soil (it miss the future
strengthens the grain) does the same with the
structurally similar arsenic.
GetResearchers
unlimited access at Dartmouth
to an College's
ad-free WIRED.com and Toxic Metals Superfund

Research program note that the

riceprint
hasandbeen
digital described
editions of theas
magazine.
a natural arsenic accumulator.
Most of this accumulation, of course, is due to naturally occurring arsenic in soil and
water. But some is due to residual contamination
Subscribe from arsenate pesticides - and that's
what makes rice from the United States so interesting in this regard.
Already a subscriber? Sign in

4/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

In a piece evaluating rice toxicity, Nancy Shute at NPR's The Salt noted earlier thisSUBSCRIBE
year:
"In the United States, a 2007 report found that rice from the south-central United States
contains almost twice as much arsenic as rice from California, on average, because
arsenic-based pesticides were used earlier for growing cotton." She added that the FDA
had told her that it was those areas - rich with calcium arsenate residue - that were of
particular concern.

That report was summarized in Environmental Health Perspectives under the title "Food
Safety: U.S. Rice Serves up Arsenic." Here's the basic data summary: *Total arsenic levels
in the 107 south central rice samples averaged 0.30 μg/g, compared to an average of
0.17 μg/g in the 27 California samples. A white rice sample from Louisiana ranked
highest in total arsenic (0.66 μg/g), and an organic brown rice from California ranked
lowest (0.10 μg/g). *Microgram per gram (μg/g) is equivalent to part-per-million.

The higher arsenic rice from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas is, of course, grown across
the old cotton belt region. And this is, of course, is the legacy that worries Joshua
Hamilton, and others studying the low-dose effects of arsenic. And although an FDA
standard would be helpful, I don't want to leave you with the impression that everything
waits on that action. Already, scientists are working to develop species of rice less prone
to uptake arsenic from the soil. Research also suggests that if growers use less water in
their rice production, arsenic uptake could be reduced. And some scientists have even
looked at ways that consumers might make rice safer, such as washing it before
cooking.If you're really worried, basmati rice from India and jasmine rice from Thailand
routinely test lower in arsenic (reinforcing my sense that geographic-labeling is a good
idea)

All of this tells you that people are paying attention, looking for ways to reduce risk and
serving up a healthier diet. We haven't figured it all out yet. But we have come a long
way - a very long way - And from the days of singing - or at least rhyming - our praise
of arsenic in agriculture. 3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

Note: This is the third in a series on arsenic in public health.

Don't miss the future
Images: 1) Dusting cotton,Get
1934/USDAgov/Flicker 2)WIRED.com
unlimited access to an ad-free Virginia Tech
and Pesticide Programs
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

#FDA #PESTICIDES Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in

VIEW COMMENTS
5/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

SUBSCRIBE

SPONSORED STORIES
POWERED BY OUTBRAIN

More science3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

Don't miss the future

Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in

6/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

SUBSCRIBE

GLOBAL WINTER

Even a Small Nuclear War Could Trigger a Global Apocalypse

ADAM ROGERS

OPINION

States Should Monitor Methane to Meet Climate Goals

MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM AND MARK JOHNSON

3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

Don't miss the future

Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in

7/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

SUBSCRIBE

BRAIN DRAIN

Football's Concussion Crisis Is Awash With Pseudoscience

CHRISTIE ASCHWANDEN

DOT-PHYSICS

Whoa! Is That Death Star Wreckage on That Planet?

RHETT ALLAIN

3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

Don't miss the future

Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

Subscribe

BIOBANKING
Already a subscriber? Sign in
The Massive, Overlooked Potential of African DNA
8/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED
MEGAN MOLTENI
SUBSCRIBE

TECH IN TWO

A Wildfire Vaccine, Elon's New Starship , and More News

ALEX BAKER-WHITCOMB

GET SCIENCE NEWSLETTER

Sign up to receive the latest science news.

Enter your email

3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

SUBMIT

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Don't miss

and the the future
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
apply.
Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST
Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in

See what's inspiring us.

9/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED

SUBSCRIBE

FOLLOW

SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE

SITE MAP PRESS CENTER

FAQ ACCESSIBILITY HELP

CUSTOMER CARE CONTACT US

SECUREDROP COUPONS

3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

NEWSLETTER WIRED STAFF

Don't miss the future

JOBS Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and RSS
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

CNMN Collection
Subscribe
© 2018 Condé Nast. All rights reserved.
Already a subscriber? Sign in

10/11
02/10/2019 A is for Arsenic (pesticides, if you please) | WIRED
Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement
SUBSCRIBE
(updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). Your California Privacy
Rights. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used,
except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices.

3 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH

Don't miss the future

Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com and
the print and digital editions of the magazine.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in

11/11