Can mercury in rice affect your baby's brain at birth?
Yes. Pregnant women who ate more rice had higher mercury levels, and their newborns showed altered brain development markers.
What's actually in it
Mercury in rice comes from contaminated irrigation water and soil. Rice paddies are flooded environments where mercury converts to methylmercury, its most toxic form. Rice absorbs it as it grows. For populations that eat rice as a staple, it can be a bigger mercury source than fish.
Methylmercury is a potent neurotoxin that crosses the placenta and concentrates in the fetal brain.
What the research says
A 2026 study in Environ Pollut measured mercury levels in pregnant women who ate different amounts of rice and then assessed their newborns' neurological development.
Women who ate more rice had higher blood mercury levels. Their newborns showed altered neurobehavioral scores at birth, suggesting the mercury was already affecting brain function.
The effects were measurable even at mercury levels considered "low" by traditional standards. The developing brain is far more sensitive than the adult brain to mercury exposure.
Pregnant women can reduce mercury from rice by varying their grain intake, cooking rice in excess water, and choosing rice varieties known to have lower mercury.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Maternal prenatal mercury exposure from rice and its association with newborn neurobehavioral development. | Environ Pollut | 2026 |
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