ArsenicIts in Animal Feed Too

Ladyhawke1

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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/12/02-5#comments

Published on Friday, December 2, 2011 by ThinkForward
ArsenicIts in Animal Feed Too
by Ben Lilliston
The media has been splashed with recent findings of elevated levels of arsenic in apple juice. Much less attention has been given to concerns about the presence of arsenic in meat. Last week, IATP and the Center for Food Safety filed a series of petitions with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for the agency to vastly reduce the legally permissible levels of arsenic in meat. 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.

Arsenics a poison that causes cancer, among other harm, IATPs David Wallinga, M.D. said in a press release on the petitions. The FDA cant seriously uphold its public health mission while allowing residues of arsenic in the meat our children and families eat. Thats why weve submitted this petition.
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. (Used under creative commons license from qmnonic.)
In 2006, IATPs 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 name brand poultry products from supermarkets and fast food restaurants.

Earlier this year, Pfizer voluntarily agreed to stop selling 3-Nitro, an arsenic-containing product for food animals. But Pfizer has given no indication that it will stop marketing the product in as many as 11 other countries where it has been sold, or that it will stop selling other FDA-approved arsenic feed additives.

The four petitions filed last week called for FDA action to reduce levels of arsenic-containing compounds in animal feed, including: arsanilic acid, nitarsone, carbarsone and roxarsone.
 

StupidBird

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Are these arsenic compounds in retail chicken and rabbit feed? Will the label list these? Ack! How do I find out?
 

April Manier

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I just read up on this recently. We need to be buying good feed and really using what we can from our gardens to feed animals.
 

Chickie'sMomaInNH

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please remember that arsenic is found naturally in soil, this is considered the 'organic' form. when it comes to apples they have it within their seeds too. the 'non-organic' form would probably come from pesticide and herbicide use. i remember hearing from the time i was in elementary school that meat birds were feed arsenic to help them get to their sizable weights but they have to let the birds 'detox' for a few days before they are processed to lower the amounts left in their system.

eta: it is scary to think that this has been kept quiet for a very long time and it took a well known Dr to finally bring it to light and for him to be proven right after soo many nay-sayers!
 

hoodat

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What really scares me is that food companies seem willing to contaminate food with harmful ingredients if it will make them more money and they can get away with it.
 

Ladyhawke1

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Follow the money.

What is scary is these corporations are back by bad science, science that is sponsored by these very same companies. These scientists are publishing that there are acceptable amounts of these ingredients in our food. They say the same thing about radiation exposure. There is no such thing as acceptable amounts, especially where infants and children are concerned.
 

hoodat

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Ladyhawke1 said:
Follow the money.

What is scary is these corporations are back by bad science, science that is sponsored by these very same companies. These scientists are publishing that there are acceptable amounts of these ingredients in our food. They say the same thing about radiation exposure. There is no such thing as acceptable amounts, especially where infants and children are concerned.
Arsenic is eliminated very slowly (if at all) by warm blooded animals. It can build up in your body till it reaches a lethal dose. Arsenic was one of the favorite ways of killing historical figures because it can be fed slowly and the symptoms build up gradually so that it is was hard to prove. Although it isn't likely the small amounts found normally in food would accumulate that much it certainly has bad effects even in smal doses.
 

Detlor Poultry

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I read in an article in BYP that some major companies feed Arsenic to CX broilers from hatching day to slaughtering day. No more KFC please... :sick
 

Greenthumb18

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This is crazy what people will do just for money :rant . One of the many reasons I always liked growing a garden, etc is because you can control how everything is grown and avoid any problems such as this. I do feel much more comfortable picking what I need in the garden versus in the stores.
Now with arsenic being found in some animal feeds, Should we all check the label on the feed bags to make sure its not one of the ingredients listed on the tag? That would be scary to see it listed there.
 

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