Not a botanist, but this is not unique to cocoa. Rice, for example, is known to take up arsenic, cadmium, and other nasties from soils. But it varies significan

Not a botanist, but this is not unique to cocoa. Rice, for example, is known to take up arsenic, cadmium, and other nasties from soils. But it varies significantly depending on the rice variety and where it is gown. Basmati rice grown in California, Pakistan, and India is known to have low levels of arsenic compared to most other types of rice.