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Arsenic: Chicken Feed Effects Questioned

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NOTE: details on the webpage about Roxarsone - the form of Arsenic discussed

in this article.

 

Arsenic:

Chicken Feed Effects Questioned

_http://www.mindfully.org/Farm/2004/Arsenic-Chicken-Roxarsone4jan04.htm_

(http://www.mindfully.org/Farm/2004/Arsenic-Chicken-Roxarsone4jan04.htm)

Researchers study health, environmental impact from use of arsenic

JOHN VANDIVER / Daily Times (Maryland) 4jan04

 

SALISBURY -- Since the 1970s, the poultry industry has used certain

arsenic-based ingredients as chicken feed additives, but some researchers have

started to scrutinize the long-standing practice because of possible health and

environmental risks.

A common arsenic used by chicken companies is roxarsone, which is mixed with

feed to control intestinal parasites and promote growth, according to

research chemists.

After consuming roxarsone, the arsenic additive approved for use by the Food

and Drug Administration, chickens then excrete the compound in a chemical

form that is virtually unchanged.

On the Delmarva Peninsula, poultry growers raise more than 500 million birds

annually, producing vast amounts of chicken litter that is spread on

farmland as manure.

Questions about potential risks associated with the use of roxarsone center

on the practice of spreading manure, not the consumption of poultry. Very low

levels of roxarsone are retained in chicken. The FDA limits the amount to

0.5 parts per million in muscle tissue.

Dr. Ellen Silbergeld, a researcher from the Johns Hopkins School of Public

Health, said the poultry industry's practice of using arsenic compounds in its

feed is something that has not been studied.

" It's an issue everybody is trying to pretend doesn't exist, " she said.

Silbergeld, who is leading a study on the effects of antibiotic resistant

illnesses among Lower Shore poultry workers, said she intends to initiate a

research project examining what risks are associated with exposure to arsenic

on

industry workers.

" The arsenicals are there. Are they significant amounts? That's the issue, "

she said.

In Maryland, 338,679 tons of litter is produced annually, 258,081 of which

comes from the four Lower Shore counties, according to the Maryland Department

of Agriculture.

For years, medical experts have warned that chronic human exposure to

arsenic could lead to certain forms of cancer.

The National Academies, which advises the federal government on a range of

health and science issues, reported to Congress in 2001 " that the data

indicate arsenic causes cancer in humans at doses that are close to the

drinking

water concentrations that occur in the United States. "

Scientists and environmentalists have debated the impact of arsenic on water

quality and pollution in coal burning states for several years. The meat

industry's use of arsenic has received less attention, some researchers

suggest.

Executives from Perdue Farms Inc. could not be reached for comment on the

composition of their feed, though a company spokesman said roxarsone is used

" industry-wide. "

Claims of cancer link

In a small Arkansas town surrounded by farmland, a group of residents have

filed a lawsuit against Alpharma Inc. -- the manufacturer of the feed additive

3-Nitro -- and several poultry companies that use the product, including

Tyson Foods Inc. Roxarsone is an active ingredient in 3-Nitro, according to

Alpharma's Web site.

John Baker, an Arkansas attorney, said he is representing 100 clients from

the community of Prairie Grove who are sick or have had family members die

from alleged exposure to roxarsone.

The first of several lawsuits was filed Dec. 16, a case that includes cancer

survivors and the parents of four children who died from leukemia and brain

cancer.

According to Baker, several residents in the town of 2,500 have been

diagnosed with rare cancers that usually occur at a rate of one in a million.

" We've tested homes of clients and found this stuff there. This arsenic is

airborne and is inhaled, " he said.

The Arkansas Department of Health, however, came to a different conclusion.

Health officials one year ago investigated and ruled that there is no

evidence Prairie Grove residents suffer cancer rates at levels disproportionate

to

other parts of the state.

Unsatisfied with the department's findings, the plaintiffs hired their own

investigators.

" We don't think their data is accurate, " Baker said.

Poultry industry representatives defend the use of roxarsone, arguing that

no research supports the claim that the feed additive is linked to cancer.

Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, an industry

trade group, questioned the motives of the attorneys and their clients.

" This is totally without merit. They're hoping to get a big payoff.

(Roxarsone) is FDA approved and I don't think there are any real scientific

concerns, " he said.

Poultry, regulations and courts

The Arkansas lawsuit is the latest in a flurry of recent legal activity

directed against the poultry industry.

On Nov. 10, a federal judge in Kentucky during a pretrial motion made a

ruling that some industry observers suggest could have far-reaching

consequences.

U.S. District Judge Joseph McKinley ruled that Tyson Chicken Inc. -- a

subsidiary of Tyson Foods -- shares responsibility with growers for reporting

air

pollution violations, rejecting arguments by officials for the poultry

company that its contract chicken growers are solely responsible for the

environmental problems that stem from their farm operations.

The lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club against Tyson resembles the debate in

Maryland over whether integrators should be held responsible for nutrient

management practices on their growers' farms.

Theresa Pierno, vice president of environmental protection at the Chesapeake

Bay Foundation, has said the Kentucky case could serve as the legal

precedent to file similar claims against Maryland corporations.

William Satterfield, executive director of the regional trade group Delmarva

Poultry Industry Inc., said his group keeps corporations here informed of

legal action in other parts of the country.

" Certainly these things are a concern. If suits can be filed in one state

they can be filed in another, " he said.

In recent years, opposition against the industry has grown, Satterfield

said.

" More and more people are challenging our industry and the way we feed the

world ... We used to do more work on growing issues, now we're dealing with

more of these external issues, " he said.

Water, soil and cancer rates

Cancer rates on the Lower Shore are among the highest in Maryland and also

exceed national averages, according to the American Cancer Society and

regional medical experts.

Somerset County is a national leader, with a cancer death rate of 267 cases

for every 100,000 people.

Nationwide, cancer deaths claimed 206 people out of every 100,000 from 1994

to 1999. Rates in Wicomico and Worcester counties also surpassed national and

state averages with a statistical measurement of 233 deaths and 229 deaths

per 100,000 people.

Health care experts on the Lower Shore have long debated why the rates here

are so high, providing more questions than answers.

Explanations have ranged from poor eating habits on the Lower Shore to high

numbers of people without health insurance and environmental factors.

In 2001, the National Academy determined that enough evidence existed to

draw the conclusion that arsenic rates commonly found in the country's water

supply were enough to lead to some forms of cancer. The findings came at a time

when President Bush was working to repeal a Clinton administration proposal

to reduce the allowable amount of arsenic in drinking water from 50 micrograms

per liter to 10 micrograms per liter, which is the health standard used by

the European Union and World Health Organization.

In March 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency withdrew the pending rule

change, restoring the 50 micrograms standard.

During the political debate over arsenic limits, the Maryland Department of

Environment commissioned a study of arsenic levels in all major aquifers on

the Maryland Coastal Plain.

The results of the study, performed by the Maryland Geological Survey, are

expected to be published this summer, project leader David Bolton said.

The data collected from wells and aquifers from the Upper Shore to the Lower

Shore indicate that arsenic levels are normal.

" There is nothing to suggest arsenic levels are a problem in drinking

water, " Bolton said.

Tests on Eastern Shore wells in most cases showed arsenic levels of 2

micrograms per liter -- well below the legal limit of 50 micrograms and below

the

10 micrograms levels recommended by the EPA under the Clinton administration,

he said.

In some aquifers found deep underground in Dorchester, Queen Anne's and

Talbot counties, arsenic registers at a higher level than other parts of the

coastal plain.

Bolton said levels as high as 42 micrograms per liter were found in

Dorchester, still below the legal limit.

However, there is no evidence to show the practice of spreading

arsenic-laced chicken litter on farmland is not responsible for Dorchester's

higher

arsenic levels, according to Bolton.

In addition to being an industrial byproduct, arsenic exists naturally in

the environment. High concentrations are usually found in mining, copper

smelting and coal burning states.

But natural causes explain the higher arsenic concentrations found in some

parts of the shore, including Dorchester County, Bolton said.

Less information is available on how arsenic in litter affects soil and

surface water.

According to the researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, one chicken

excretes about 150 milligrams of roxarsone in a 42-day growth period. Litter

collected during that period contains between 30 to 50 milligrams per kilogram

of total arsenic, according to the report.

On the Delmarva Peninsula, it means between 20 and 50 metric tons of arsenic

are introduced to the environment annually by chicken farmers.

The U.S. Geological Survey is attempting to find out what impact the poultry

industry's use of arsenic has on soil and water environments on Delmarva.

Silbergeld said she expects a better understanding of the health effects of

roxarsone to emerge once scientists begin exploring the issue.

" We who've been doing research (on the poultry industry) really haven't

looked at this, " she said.

In the meantime, Gov. Robert Ehrlich has recommended that Maryland should

explore alternative uses for poultry manure to help the industry and the

environment.

Chicken litter could potentially serve as an alternative energy source,

something Silbergeld says could be dangerous.

" If the levels of arsenic in waste are significant, burning it would be the

worst thing to do, " she said.

 

Reach John Vandiver at 410-845-4656 or jvandive.

source:

http://www.dailytimesonline.com/news/stories/20040104/localnews/163756.html

4jan04

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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