FDA Claims There’s Arsenic In Your Chicken

Some chicken could have small amounts of harmful  arsenic. The Food and Drug

 Administration says somechicken meat may contain small amounts of arsenic, though

 the agency is stressing that the amount is too low to be dangerous.

The FDA said Wednesday that a new study developed by the agency shows that an

ingredient in chicken feed contains arsenic, called Roxarsone, may make its way

 into parts of the bird that are eaten.  Previous studies have indicated that the

arsenic was eliminated with chicken waste.

Pfizer Inc., which makes the feed ingredient, said Wednesday that it will pull it off

 the market in the United States.  FDA said it would be banned because it is a carcinogen.

Pfizer said in a statement that its subsidiary, Alpharma LLC, is suspending sales next

 month in response to the FDA findings.  The company said it is not withdrawing the

 ingredient immediately so producers have time to transition their birds off the drug.

Many poultry producers have recently stopped feeding their birds the ingredient, which

 was used to kill parasites and promote growth.  The FDA's deputy commissioner for foods,

 said the study raised "concerns of a very low but completely avoidable exposure to a

 carcinogen.

In a study of 100 chickens, the FDA found that chickens that had eaten the Roxarsone

 had higher levels of inorganic arsenic — as opposed to organic arsenic, which is

naturally occurring — in their livers than chickens which had not eaten the Roxarsone.

Inorganic arsenic is more toxic than the naturally occurring form.

Roxarsone has long been a concern for environmental groups worried about its presence

 in chicken waste and the resulting effects on human health in areas with high

chicken production.

Eeek!  I know that there is always a certain amount of chemicals in the food you eat but

 this one is a bit on the scary side.  The worst part is, the arsenic isn't the one we

were brought up eating.  It's a new more poisonous source.   Make sure you fill your

friends and family in on these fitness tips using facebook, twitter, and email!

Adria