This study establishes, for the first time, a permissible arsenic limit for irrigation water to ensure the safe cultivation of rice, a dietary staple in South Asia. Arsenic contamination of irrigation water is a major health risk for approximately 110 million people in this region. An incubation study was conducted using 420 monolithic soil columns from 10 arsenic-contaminated sites under two irrigation regimes (rainfed and irrigated). Using a logistic regression model, a threshold concentration for arsenic in irrigation water was identified as 190 μg L–1. A nonparametric bootstrap simulation (n = 100,000) was performed, yielding a 95% confidence interval of 163.78–190.20 μg L–1, which confirmed the model’s stability. The threshold was validated with field samples and effectively classified rice grain arsenic concentrations. These findings provide a reference for managing irrigation practices to safeguard food safety in arsenic-endemic rice-growing regions of South Asia.

This article highlights the escalating concern of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances) contamination, which poses significant global concern and potentially serve implications for India. I...

Model adsorption behavior using classical isotherms, including Langmuir, Freundlich, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and Temkin models. The package supports parameter estimation through both linearized ...

Numerous reviews have focused on the chemistry, fate and transport, and remediation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across various envi…

Bauxite mining practices addressed a high heavy metal load in surrounding soils. Labile fractions of the metals are the most important factor governing soil microbial quality. Synergistic stress cau...

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Environmental Geochemistry and Health is a cross-disciplinary journal that publishes innovative research linking health and the environment. Publishes ...

In this review article, a comprehensive meta-analysis based on available literature information has been undertaken to make a relative comparison of total arsenic in rice grain. This involves analyzin...

In Zamfara state, Nigeria, rice is cultivated in fields contaminated with Pb (lead) from artisanal and illicit mining activities. Rice grown in such c…

Decision tree (DT) and logistic regression (LR) models are tested with field data. For rice cultivation, the better performing DT model predicts 14 mg kg−1 total As as the soil limit. Both LR and ra...