Rare earth elements (REEs) are emerging environmental contaminants, yet information on their occurrence in Bangladeshi rice is limited. This study quantified REEs in rice collected from multiple locations in the Chittagong region, including areas influenced by shipbreaking activities and a geographically distinct comparison site. Rice samples were pre-concentrated by dry ashing and analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The sum of rare earth elements (ΣREE; La–Lu, excluding Pm) showed considerable spatial variability. In Sites 2, 3, 4, and 6, ΣREE concentrations ranged from 17.35–1807, 5.04–286, 32.5–478, and 53.3–387 µg/kg, respectively, with lanthanum, cerium, and neodymium as dominant contributors. One-way ANOVA indicated no statistically significant difference in ΣREE among sampling locations (F = 1.03, p = 0.395), suggesting a broadly distributed environmental source influenced by estuarine and sedimentary processes. However, non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis analysis showed significant variability among exposure sites (p < 0.05). Seasonal comparison at the reference site revealed significantly higher ΣREE during the wet season than the dry season (Welch’s t-test, p = 0.0008), supported by the Mann–Whitney U test (p < 0.001), indicating enhanced REE mobility under wetter conditions. Human risk assessment based on estimated daily intake indicated exposure within acceptable safety limits. These findings provide baseline evidence for REE occurrence, variability, and food safety implications in Bangladeshi rice.
Imran et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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