Chronic exposure to the toxin has been linked to a range of health problems including developmental problems, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

But experiments suggest that the way rice is cooked is key to reducing exposure to the toxic but naturally occurring chemical.

Prof Andy Meharg, from Queens University Belfast, tested three ways of cooking rice for the BBC programme Trust Me, I’m a Doctor.

In the first, he used a ratio of two parts water to one part rice, where the water is “steamed out” during cooking.

In the second, with five parts water to one part rice, with the excess water washed off, levels of arsenic were almost halved.

And in the third method, where the rice was soaked overnight, levels of the toxin were reduced by 80 per cent.