There was an editorial in today's Washington Post by Douglas Gansler, the attorney general of Maryland, entitled "A Deadly Ingredient in a Chicken Dinner." He writes that the poultry industry has been using roxarsone since 1944 when the FDA approved its use purportedly to fight parasites & increase growth. All it really does is promote the growth of blood vessels in chickens so their meat looks pinker, or healthier, in the grocery store. But roxarsone is an arsenic compound that is a Class A carcinogen linked to heart disease, diabetes, and declining brain function. It also fuels a growth process in us called angiogenesis which is the first step in cancer for humans. Large chicken producers mandate the use of arsenic in chicken feed by smaller farmers. 70 percent of broiler chickens in the US have been fed roxarsone. Runoff from chicken manure has spread the arsenic into surrounding soil, lakes, rivers, and fertilized lawns. Americans are exposed to between 3 and 11 times the recommended safety limit. More than 30 attorneys general are calling on the FDA to ban arsenic from chicken feed. In the meantime, I'm going to stay with organic chicken only. Here's a link to the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/25/AR2009062503381.html?sub=AR
Source: Women’s Health WW Board
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