Boiling rice five minutes then draining removes most arsenic. Rinsing and soaking remove far less.
- True: Rinsing removes about 10 percent of the arsenic.
- True: Soaking overnight removes 30 to 40 percent of the arsenic.
- True: Hot water extracts arsenic locked inside the grain; cold water does not.
- True: Drain the water that contains the removed arsenic, then cook with fresh water.
Checked against: The University of Sheffield, drpoonamdesai.substack.com, health.osu.edu, ScienceAlert
Why we say that›
Boiling and draining rice extracts far more arsenic than rinsing or soaking.
All checked steps and percentages hold. The method described works as stated.
Reported 20 Oct 2026
Claims
6 true
- True
Rinsing rice removes about 10% of the arsenic.
What we found
Rinsing raw rice removes about 10% of the arsenic. The same figure from studies.
- True
Soaking rice overnight removes about 30 to 40% of the arsenic.
What we found
Soaking for several hours or overnight and cooking in fresh water removes roughly 30 to 40% of the arsenic.
- True
Arsenic is water soluble but locked inside the grain, not just on the surface.
What we found
Arsenic is water-soluble and accumulates in rice, which is grown in flooded fields more than other cereals.
- True
Cold water won't pull the arsenic out, but hot water can.
What we found
Cold water cannot reach arsenic inside the grain. Arsenic is water-soluble, supporting that hot water can extract it.
- True
The drained water contains the arsenic removed from the rice.
What we found
After draining, the water is where the arsenic went. One source describes discarding the water that removed the arsenic.
- True
After draining, add two cups of fresh water and cook the rice normally.
What we found
After boiling rice for 5 minutes and draining, add two cups of fresh water per cup of rice, cover, and cook on low to medium heat until absorbed.
The full story, from the sources›
Arsenic, which is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, is water-soluble — so it accumulates in rice, which is grown in flooded fields more than other cereals. - The University of Sheffield To do this at home, the researchers say you can bring water to the boil (four cups of fresh water for every cup of raw rice). Then, add rice and boil for another 5 minutes. Next, discard the water (which has now removed much of the arsenic that was in the rice), and add more fresh water (two cups for each cup of rice). Finally, cover the rice with a lid, and cook on a low to medium heat until the water has been absorbed. ... this technique removes about 54 percent of the inorganic compound in brown rice, and about 73 percent in white rice. - ScienceAlert (2020-11-03) Rinse rice when its raw to take out about 10% of the arsenic in it. - health.osu.edu (2023-01-18) Studies that measured it found rinsing removes around 10 percent of the inorganic arsenic, and in some tests almost none. - drpoonamdesai.substack.com (2026-10-16)
From primary sources · reporting
How it's framed (4)›
Sources (4)›
Arsenic, which is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, is water-soluble — so it accumulates in rice, which is grown in flooded fields more than other cereals.
Studies that measured it found rinsing removes around 10 percent of the inorganic arsenic, and in some tests almost none.
Rinse rice when its raw to take out about 10% of the arsenic in it.
To do this at home, the researchers say you can bring water to the boil (four cups of fresh water for every cup of raw rice). Then, add rice and boil for another 5 minutes. Next, discard the water (which has now removed much of the arsenic that was in the rice), and add more fresh water (two cups for each cup of rice). Finally, cover the rice with a lid, and cook on a low to medium heat until the water has been absorbed. ... this technique removes about 54 percent of the inorganic compound in brown rice, and about 73 percent in white rice.
Notes on this check (1)›
- Some spoken passages were excluded because their transcription was uncertain; those assertions were not checked.
Checked against 4 sources · 20 Oct 2026
Help us improve
Was this analysis useful?
One tap helps us find what Blindspot should improve next.