Professor Denise Wilson said: ‘Unless you are a heavy drinker consuming wine with really high concentrations of arsenic, of which there are only a few, there’s little health threat if that’s the only source of arsenic in your diet.’
Alongside their wine experiments, Professor Wilson and her team conducted a second study looking at levels of arsenic in other foods and drinks.
That project concluded that the likely health risks from the naturally-occurring toxin in wine depends on how much arsenic is in an individual’s diet overall.
They note foods and beverages including apple juice, rice and cereal bars are also high in the toxin.
But the highest risks from arsenic exposure stem from certain types of infant formulas, the researchers estimated.
Dr Wilson said: ‘Consumers need to look at their diets as a whole.
‘If you are eating a lot of contaminated rice, organic brown rice syrup, seafood, wine, apple juice – all those heavy contributors to arsenic poisoning – you should be concerned, especially pregnant women, kids and the elderly.’
Arsenic is a naturally-occurring element that is toxic to humans in some forms.
It can cause skin, lung and bladder cancers, as well as other diseases.
As rain, rivers and wind erode rocks that contain arsenic, it leaches into water and the soil.
From there, the toxic metalloid can work its way into the food chain.
The UW study is the first peer-reviewed piece of research in decades to look at the arsenic content of American wines.
As a group, they had higher arsenic levels than their European counterparts, likely due to the underlying geology of the American wine growing regions, the authors said.
Researchers at the University of Washington focused on red wines because it is made from the skin of grapes where arsenic that is absorbed from the soil tends to concentrate
The study focused on red wine, except from two areas of Washington where only white wine is produced, because they are made with the skin of grapes where arsenic that is absorbed from the soil tend to concentrate.
Professor Wilson’s team also tested for lead, which is a common co-contaminant.
The study found lead in 58 per cent of the samples, but only five per cent – all from New York – exceeded drinking water standards.
HOW DOES ARSENIC GET INTO OUR FOOD AND DRINKS?
Arsenic is a naturally-occurring element that is toxic to humans in some forms.
It can cause skin, lung and bladder cancers, as well as other diseases.
As rain, rivers and wind erode rocks that contain arsenic, it leaches into water and the soil.
From there, the toxic metalloid can work its way into the food chain.
Washington wines had the highest arsenic concentrations, averaging 28 parts per billion, while Oregon’s had the lowest, averaging 13 parts per billion.
Professor Wilson said: ‘There were no statistical differences among Washington, New York and California.
‘The only star in the story is Oregon, where arsenic concentrations were particularly low.’
She said because the average adult drinks far more water than even frequent wine drinkers, it is an imperfect comparison to gauge health risks based on the EPA’s standard for drinking water – 10 parts per billion.
That is why her team also evaluated how much arsenic individuals can safely consume from all the sources in their diet.
The team compiled data for foods shown to contain arsenic, juice, milk, bottled water, wine, cereal bars, infant formula, rice, salmon and tuna.
From that, they were able to determine how much of an arsenic ‘dose’ an average child or adult would get from each food source, and how close it would come to the risk thresholds set by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, for total arsenic in a person’s diet.
Arsenic is a naturally-occurring element that is toxic to humans in some forms. As rain, rivers and wind erode rocks containing the element, like that pictured, it leaches into water and the soil
For the core or frequent adult wine drinker, the arsenic consumed from that single source would only make up 10 to 12 percent of the total maximum recommended daily arsenic intake.
But if that person also eats large quantities of contaminated rice, tuna or energy bars, for instance, that could push that individual’s arsenic consumption beyond levels that are considered safe.
A person who eats an average or large amount of contaminated rice would get between 41 and 101 per cent of the maximum recommended daily dose of arsenic from that one source alone, the study found.
A child who drinks apple juice could get a quarter of the maximum daily arsenic dose from that single source.
The food that posed the largest risk of arsenic poisoning was infant formula made with organic brown rice syrup, an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup.
Professor Wilson estimated that some infants eating large amounts of certain formulas may be getting more than 10 times the daily maximum dose of arsenic.
She recommends that US wineries test for arsenic and lead in irrigation and processing water, and take steps to remove those contaminants if levels are found to be high.
And she urged people to take responsibility for their diets, to be aware of arsenic levels and speak to their doctor if they have concerns.
The two studies appear in the Journal of Environmental Health.
Source: Daily Mail
