GUWAHATI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has called for responses from the Union Agriculture and Environment ministries, as well as the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), concerning the presence of arsenic in food, particularly rice.
This inquiry follows a suo motu case initiated by a coram led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, with judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A. Senthil Vel, based on a media news article titled "Arsenic in Food: Should you wash rice before cooking it?".
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The article highlighted the dangers posed by arsenic in rice, describing it as a naturally occurring toxin in soil and water that can be hazardous to human health. Experts recommend that arsenic can be mitigated by thoroughly washing and soaking rice before cooking. The report emphasised that arsenic contamination varies across different regions and is naturally present in water, soil, and rocks, easily entering the food chain.
The article also pointed out that human activities, such as the use of pesticides, herbicides, wood preservatives, phosphate fertilisers, industrial waste, mining, coal burning, and smelting, have exacerbated arsenic pollution. Rice, grown in flooded fields, is particularly prone to absorbing arsenic due to its high water uptake.
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The NGT noted that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), long-term exposure to arsenic can manifest symptoms on the skin within five years and, in severe cases, can be fatal. This raises significant concerns about environmental compliance and the enforcement of relevant laws.
In light of these issues, the NGT has sought detailed responses from the CPCB and the respective ministries and scheduled the next hearing for September 2.
