U.S. rice exports to Haiti have unhealthy levels of arsenic, study finds

FILE PHOTO: A local sells rice and grains at a street market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - U.S. rice exports to Haiti, which account for the bulk of supplies of the country's key food staple, contain unhealthy levels of arsenic and cadmium, heavy metals that can increase risks of cancer and heart disease, according to a recent study by the University of Michigan.

Haiti is among the United States' top buyers of rice, alongside Mexico and Japan, and cheap imports are more affordable than local options in the Caribbean nation, the poorest state in the Western Hemisphere.