Rice is an important source of essential elements. However, rice may also contain toxic elements such as arsenic. Therefore, in the present study, the concentration of total arsenic and five main chemical species of arsenic (As(3+), As(5+), DMA, MMA and AsB) were evaluated in 44 different rice samples (white, parboiled white, brown, parboiled brown, parboiled organic and organic white) from different Brazilian regions using high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The mean level of total arsenic was 222.8 ng g(-1) and the daily intake of inorganic arsenic (the most toxic form) from rice consumption was estimated as 10% of the Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI) with a daily ingestion of 88g of rice. Inorganic arsenic (As(3+), As(5+)) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) are the predominant forms in all samples. The percentages of species were 38.7; 39.7; 3.7 and 17.8% for DMA, As(3+), MMA and As(5+), respectively. Moreover, rice samples harvested in the state of Rio Grande do Sul presented more fractions of inorganic arsenic than rice in Minas Gerais or Goias, which could lead to different risks of arsenic exposure. (C) 2011 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.