Combined climate change and arsenic pollution increases rice cadmium with little effect on micronutrients

In rice grown in pots, combined high soil arsenic and future climate conditions increased grain cadmium two-fold, while grain Fe changed only slightly.

• Why it matters: Soil arsenic and climate change can both shift how rice takes up micronutrients and toxins, but their joint effects on grain nutritional quality and safety are not well defined.
• What they did: A full-factorial pot study grew rice under two soil As levels (low-As, high-As) and four climate regimes (today; elevated CO2 +435 ppm; elevated temperature +5{degrees} C; and combined elevated CO2 and temperature).
• The result: Grain Zn and Cd both decreased with soil As contamination, yet future climate raised Zn and Cd; Zn fell overall by 25% under combined As contamination and future climate, and Cd rose two-fold.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.