It’s unfortunately true that rice contains more inorganic arsenic, which is highly toxic, than other grains. This is simply in the nature of rice, to concentrate whatever little bits of arsenic are present in the soil and water. It is a tiny, tiny amount, perhaps 50-100 ppb (parts per billion), and presents no known health risk. But the arsenic is in the rice, not on the surface, so rinsing will do little or no good.
It is still a good idea to rinse rice before cooking in most situations to remove excess surface starch, which would make the cooked rice gummy.
Should you worry about arsenic in rice? Generally, no because the amount of arsenic in rice is very low and not considered to be a health risk. But if you are a fretter, you can minimize your arsenic exposure from rice:
- Be aware that brown rice has on average 50% more arsenic than white rice.
- Cook rice like you cook pasta, in lots of water (6 parts water to 1 part rice). Drain when tender and return to the empty pan and cover for 5-10 minutes. This removes as much as half the arsenic.
- Focus on basmati rice, white or brown, which tends to have less arsenic than other varieties.
If you eat a lot of rice and are a bit worried, consider adding other grains to your diet to replace some of the rice. For example, quinoa, barley, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, polenta, bulgur, and farro.