Rice is a staple food of most of Asia and is also present in many of our baby foods here in Europe.
Unfortunately rice also seems to be very good at absorbing Arsenic and accumulating it at higher levels than present in the soil. This would not be such a problem except that the water used to irrigate some rice paddies is contaminated with arsenic. So says a comment by the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.
They recommend a few measures that should be taken including: a distinction needs to be made between organic and inorganic arsenic as the latter is more toxic (the inorganic content of rice could 90% of the total arsenic level), rice drinks should be avoided for babies and young children, and the inorganic level of arsenic in baby food containing rice protein needs to be declared.