Tell FDA to Ban Arsenic in Animal Feed!
June 14, 2010
(Updated June 16)
The chickens you buy at the grocery store are given feed with arsenic added to make them gain weight faster. Yes, arsenic—the deadly poison and carcinogen. A petition had been filed with the FDA to remove arsenic from animal feed and the FDA had until June 15th to respond. ANH-USA forwarded the thousands of comments our readers submitted in support of the arsenic ban to the FDA. Thank you all for taking action!
Arsenic-containing compounds are most widely used in chicken production, and most chickens receive arsenic–“fortified” feed. Most arsenic-containing animal feed additives are not used to treat sickness. Instead, these additives are commonly used in poultry production to induce faster weight gain and give the meat a healthy-looking color; the same techniques are used to a lesser extent in turkeys and hogs.
Last December, the Center for Food Safety and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration calling for the immediate withdrawal of approvals for arsenic-containing compounds used in animal feed. The petition was supported by a coalition of food and farm groups around the country.
Arsenic is powerful carcinogen. The government knows this; they state openly that “the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic to humans.” And it is now well known that these feed additives lead to arsenic residue both in conventionally raised chickens—that is, chickens sold in supermarkets and restaurants across the country—and in the environment, putting our health at risk.
Just two weeks ago in The Pulse of Natural Health, we discussed the safety of nutritional supplements, and how trace amounts of arsenic and lead get into herbal supplements because the metals occur naturally in air, water, soil, and food. How much more ironic is it that arsenic, in far greater amounts, is being added to our food, with no public outcry, no mention in the conventional media (compared to the dramatic headlines over the trace metals in supplements)—and worst of all, no action whatsoever from the FDA, our supposed “watchdog” agency!
In fact, it would be shocking if the FDA did take any positive action—its pattern is to support big business and the pharmaceutical industry in particular no matter the cost to public health.
Case in point: In 2008, the FDA issued a rule that banned the widespread use of a class of powerful antibiotics—specifically, cephalosporin antimicrobial drugs—in food-producing animals. In July of last year, they even called the practice “a public health risk.” Then, last December, they reversed their decision, bowing to pressure from agriculture groups and pharmaceutical makers, who claimed that the antibiotics are needed to prevent many infectious diseases in animals.
“Needed”? On the contrary: public health officials and the American Medical Association are worried that excessive use of antibiotics—including in animals—can promote resistance and produce strains of bacteria that threaten human life. And even the FDA’s director of veterinary drugs, Steven Vaughn, told a conference that that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming more common in cattle.
But back to arsenic. For many years, pressure-treated lumber was coated with a preservative that contained arsenic to keep it from rotting. It was used for foundations and decks and playground equipment, wherever wood is exposed to earth and weather. But the wood treatment industry and the Environmental Protection Agency finally reached the commonsense conclusion that the best way to protect kids from arsenic wood was not to affix a “Poison!” label to it, but to eliminate it altogether, and in 2004 the substance was banned. In many cases, kids’ playgrounds had to be replaced, and many public decking areas had to be rebuilt. So the government thinks it’s too dangerous for kids to play around arsenic-treated wood, but the FDA says it’s OK to put it in feed—that is, directly into our own food supply? How does that make any sense?
It is true that the EPA and the FDA often disagree. For example, the EPA says that five micrograms per liter of blood in a 132-pound woman is the maximum amount of mercury she can have in her system and still be considered healthy and nontoxic. The FDA has not issued any advisory on maximum mercury levels, and seems entirely unconcerned about the mercury that children (and adults, including pregnant women) get in their flu shot. Mercury, of course, is one of the most toxic-heavy metals and causes fainting spells, nausea, intermittent stomach upset, headaches, fatigue, abnormal hair loss, and trouble concentrating, among other damage.
Our children are faced with horrific amounts of toxins. This is yet another – stop ruining their bodies and give them a fighting chance to be healthy. Take the arsenic out of animal feed! Do it now and make a difference in our future!
Both of my children showed mid-range levels of arsenic in a DNA hair analysis. This is unacceptable.
Please get the arsenic out of our food supply! We deserve good food for us and our children! This is just unbelievable!
Julie Jortikka
Alton, NH
No arsenic in our food!
Please ban all synthetic additives to chickens and all animals. The toxins we are giving them show up in what we eat and what our children eat, causing all of us medicial problems.
It’s no wonder so many people get cancer! The government is causing people to get sick! It makes people rich so they don’t care!!! This is horrible! Stop allowing this to happen!!!!
HI, Guys why are you knocking yourselves out? All we need is a law making it illegal (jail time) for anyone who changes the food supply with anything added to it that was not there before (natural state)
We cannot keep fighting all fronts of this food issue.
Whatever expenses are assumed to be saved in this horrific process of poisoning will cost a fortune in health expenses, both monetary, and more importantly, in the physical health of the population.
It’s not worth it. I join millions of others in demanding that the practice of arsenic feeding to farmed animals be outlawed and extinguished immediately.
Sincerely,
B.G.
Los Angeles, California
Arsenic? I have arsenic in my water and I DON’T DRINK IT. I eat A LOT of chicken and never knew arsenic was in animal feed. STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT. You want to kill the public just because you want to make money and be greedy?
This what happens when we as American Citizens sit back and do nothing. And let big government chooses what is best for us. Government, lawyers, doctors don’t know best. Mother Nature knows best. Rise up because it could and will get worse. And for those companies that are slowly and painfully killing us with their toxic poisions. I hope you and your families suffers the same fate as we do. Maybe this will change your attitudes on health first, isntead of profits. How much money is enough for you greedy f…. Thank goodness for organizations like Alliance For Natural Health, who not only puts out this vital information in public view, but who also fights for our rights! Keep up the fight.
Arsenic in animal feed? Are you kidding me? Apparantly not.
Oh what’s a little poison here and there…?!
Ban arsenic from animal food now. That is a no-brainer. Everything seems to be tainted these days. This is another item that has to be addressed immediately.
VACCINATION ARE USED FOR WHAT THEY ARE MADE FOR THEY IN NO WAY HINDER OR HELP FOR VAXING. INSTEAD THEY GIVE YOU A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION, YOU KNOW THE TYPE THAT YOU HEAR ON T.V. YOU KNOW ST.JUDES LIKE ” IWAS BRUSHING LITTLE JOHNNIE SIX MONTH,OLD HAIR AND I FUND A LUMP ON HIS HEAD OR IWAS FEELING LITTLE CHRISSY ARMS AND I FOUND A LUMP ON HER BACK. THIS IS BECAUSE THEIR IS CANCEROUS TISSUSE AND ABORTED FETAL TISSUES AND MSG AND SORBITOL,DONT FORGET THE ANITFREEZE IN THIS LIFE ENDING ,OR CHANGING, IT COULD KILL YOU , FORGET THE FOOD IT IS INGENIUSLY MADE TO KILL YOU SPELIDA IS AN INSECTICIDE, GMO HAVE TAKEN OVER OUR BANANAS ARE ERRADIATED AND SO OUR OUR SPICES. OUR AIR IS FILLED WITH CHEMTRAILS AND THE ISRAELI MOSSAD DID 9/11AND WE ARE IN TROUBLE W/ BP OIL DISASTER GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN YAWEH AND YAHUSHUA ARE THEY’RE NAMES JESUS MEANS HAIL ZEUS WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO. TOO LONG
Greed, there is no torrent quite like it. May you reap what you sew.
Please don’t put arsenic in animal feed.
What? WHERE ARE YOUR HEADS??!!!
If arsenic isn’t poison, why is it regulated? Why is it used in rat poisons??
Why would you even *think* of making this poison an additive to the feed that goes to food animals??
Well, I am not making a request that the arsenic be removed from animal feed. I AM DEMANDING IT!!! My family’s health and very lives depend upon safe food! Shame on you!!
Once you turn 50, you are no use to business. You’ve worked the best years of your life and have already bred and raised the new generation of workers. After pouring both blood and sweat for over 3 decades to work just to feed your family and put a roof over it, why give you welfare and social security? When the upper classes can keep that money to enrich themselves more. What better way then to make sure we die before we can ever reach retirememt. Think about it our water is poisoned, our air is poisoned, and our food supply, too. Do you think the government doesn’t know that corn syrup is poisoness or bormide which is in all of our bread and flour, or that radiating and microwaving food causes cancer or arsenic in chicken? Corn is not cheaper than beet sugar just like coal is not a cheaper source of electricity than solar or wind panels. It is just they are more heavily subsidized by our taxpayer money. It is the fact that our taxpayer money subsidizes these products that they are cheaper for large corporations to use. Why is the government subsidizing coal for example which is so expensive to subsidize rather than investing in solar and wind energy which is so cheap it doesn’t need to be subsidized at all? It is because, they have decided to kill us faster, to make sure we don’t make it to retirement. Over 20% of the population doesn’t make it pass 40 and 1/3 of the population doesn’t make it retirement age of 65. Concerning arsenic: I live in NJ and we have high levels of arsenic in our water. I use a Multi-pure water system that hooks up to my facet. If you are interested in buying a system, I am not only a customer, but a distributor. Just email me at: getfreegreenenergy@yahoo.com
no arsnic in our food
What we need are lawyers who are just as shocked and appalled as we are to start gathering evidence, like DNA hair samples of not only children, but ALL of us and then filing a huge class action suit against the FDA. If the entire country sues the FDA, I think someone might take more notice than just a bunch of comments to a news story.
Any attorneys out there willing to put their necks on the line to start this ball rolling? We’re being systematically murdered by the pigs at the FDA so they can have their pockets lined by Big Business.
Attorneys??? Speak up!
I am outraged, but not in the least bit surprised. The FDA is back to business as usual, or I should say BIG business.
My husband and I just purchased a dairy farm in New York state and we are raising chickens both for eggs and for meat. We want to raise them organically, so when we got our first batch of chicks we went to a well known store that sells agricultural products and animal feed, I won’t mention the name, and we asked for Organic Chicken feed. They looked at us like we had two heads and asked, Why organic? What are you afraid of? Needless to say, we don’t patronize that store anymore. I’m happy I don’t buy chicken from the supermarket anymore. Raising farm fresh organic pastured free range chickens is rewarding and their meat is delicious. The conventional chicken in the supermarkets are raised indoors..they never see the light of day and by free range, they just mean that the chickens are free to roam within the confines of the chicken house. Being since there are literally thousands of chickens in one house, the roaming space is limited. It’s no wonder why they get sick and need antibiotics. I pasture my chickens and allow them to get as much fresh air and sunshine as they want. I’m a 7 year survivor of breast and thyroid cancer, so I don’t want any arsenic in my diet.
States are waiting for Federal LEADERSHIP. Do the right thing now and ban arsenic in chicken feed