Determinación de la trazabilidad del contenido de arsénico en dos zonas arroceras del litoral ecuatoriano y su impacto en la ingesta alimentaria

Abstract

Rice plays a fundamental role in the Ecuadorian diet, with Daule being the rice capital of the country with a yield of 4.8 t/h, the highest at the national level, followed by Ventanas with a yield of 4.2 t/h. Therefore, the determination of the traceability of arsenic content is imperative for its impact on food. Several studies have found As levels in Oryza sativa, a cause of concern in several research areas. After quantifying As by ICP-OES in irrigation water, soil, root, stem and leaf, a significant difference was found in the soils and stems of both cantons, with Ventanas showing a lower amount and a reduction of 1.38 mg kg-1, in Daule’s root, a high concentration of As was observed, reaching 4.533 ± 1.22, the highest recorded in the study. On the other hand, Ventanas leaves showed a higher concentration of As, confirming the alternative hypothesis. The values of the irrigation water exceed the regulation established by the EPA. The results of BCF >1 showed that O. sativa is an As bioaccumulator plant, while in its TF it is evident that in Ventanas the plants are more susceptible to translocation from the root to the aerial biomass. In local and commercial grains, As levels were found to be within the permissible limits, in addition to its carcinogenic risk as HQ >1, moving away from a possible cancer risk.