FDA Admits Chicken Meat Contains Arsenic

. It’s been over 6 years since The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) found that chicken contained Arsenic. With the risk of being exposed, the FDA has finally admitted to this fact and no longer can they continue with their desire to sweep this information under the rug. Ingested inorganic arsenic is metabolized to mono and dimethylated compounds, these are predominantly found in urine. Big pharmaceutical companies produce and sell four arsenic compounds that are added to animal feed for turkey, chicken and swine production to increase weight and improve pigmentation of the meat. As far back as 2006, the IATP’s report Playing Chicken: Avoiding Arsenic in your meat estimated that more than 70 percent of all U.S. chickens raised for meat are fed arsenic. That report found detectable levels of arsenic in many brand name poultry products form supermarkets and fast food restaurants. One way farmers add arsenic to chicken feed is through drugs like Pfizer’s Roxarsone. Arsenic’s a poison that causes cancer, among other harm.

The FDA can’t seriously uphold its public health mission while allowing residues of arsenic in the meat our children and families eat. – David Wallinga, M.D. IATP It’s about time that the FDA took action, they have confirmed that chickens given the drug do test positive for inorganic arsenic which, as stated above was found as early as 2006. Despite finding this fact in 2006, the industry continued to ignore it and steadily maintained that arsenic could not and did not make it into the meat. While admitting to the arsenic, the FDA continues to maintain that there is no meaningful risk to those eating the chicken. It is no surprise that this point is emphasized by the pharmaceutical company and the National Chicken Council. How can the FDA claim that arsenic at a low level is still safe to eat? How can we be sure it is at a low level given how cancer rates are rising every year? Even though the FDA admits to arsenic being a carcinogen, meaning it increases the risk of cancer, they still justify its placement in the chicken we eat. Chicken littler containing arsenic is also fed to cows in factory beef operations. So the arsenic that’s pooped out by the chickens gets consumed and concentrated in the tissues of cows, which is then ground into hamburger to be consumed by the masses who don’t even know they’re eating it. Human health affects of arsenic exposure, especially inorganic arsenic exposure, can vary depending on route of exposure. For ingestion, adverse effects are most often manifested as skin discolouration and lesions and in the gastrointestinal tract (nausea, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain). Ingestion has also been linked to cancer of the skin, bladder, liver and lung. Inhalation exposure has been linked to an increased incidence of irritation of mucous membranes and lung cancer. Inorganic arsenic is classified as a known human carcinogen.

The state of Maryland has recently passed a bill that bans arsenic in chicken feed. Pfizer’s roxarsone arsenic based drug has been in chicken feed since the 1940’s.

The inorganic arsenic not only ends up in meat, it ends up in soil.

The chickens in Maryland, for example, produce about a billion pounds of waste a year and that waste gets used as fertilizer. Maryland is the first state to pass such a bill, and it is logical to assume that this problem exists with chicken feed, the chicken meat and the fertilizer from chicken waste in all other states too. It’s good to know that this is becoming known, and I am sure this information will spread as we continue to wake up. You can view more of our articles on meat below. If you are looking to transition to a vegan or vegetarian diet, please browse through our alternative news and health sections. Much Love. Protein From Animal Products is More Harmful Than From Plants Factory Farming Is Destroying Our Environment Sources: http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/Arsenic_summary.pdf http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/arsenic-in-chicken-feed-affects-more-than-chickens http://www.iatp.org/blog/201112/arsenic—it’s-in-animal-feed-too http://grist.org/food-safety/2011-06-08-fda-admits-supermarket-chickens-test-positive-for-arsenic/ http://worldtruth.tv/fda-finally-admits-chicken-meat-contains-cancer-causing-arsenic/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/08/arsenic-chicken_n_873299.html .

Read the full article at the original website

References:

• http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/Arsenic_summary.pdf
• http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/arsenic-in-chicken-feed-affects-more-than-chickens
• http://www.iatp.org/blog/201112/arsenic—it’s-in-animal-feed-too
• http://grist.org/food-safety/2011-06-08-fda-admits-supermarket-chickens-test-positive-for-arsenic/
• http://worldtruth.tv/fda-finally-admits-chicken-meat-contains-cancer-causing-arsenic/
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/08/arsenic-chicken_n_873299.html