Dr. Susan Buchanan, of the University of Illinois Hospital, said there are three things families should know about organic formula.
1. Brown rice takes up soil arsenic to a greater degree than other grains.
2. Brown rice syrup used as a sweetener is concentrated, so the arsenic levels are even higher than in regular brown rice.
3. An organic label means that no pesticides were used in growing the rice; it has nothing to do with how much of a naturally-occurring element might be in the product.
Buchanan advises parents not to panic. She also said to avoid products sweetened with brown rice syrup but to continue eating brown rice because it is a health alternative to refined grains.
