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Re: [SANET-MG] arsenic in poultry food



Hello Edna Weigel,
I have enclosed an abstract of an article that may answer your question. The antibiotic roxarsone is used to treat chickens to make them grow faster. FDA approved the arsenic antibiotic and it is claimed 70 percent of commercial feeds contain the antibiotic. Compost from chicken manure are rich in inorganic arsenic from antibiotic breakdown. Arsenic is a human carcinogen and effects blood circulation. Arsenic in drinking water is a huge problem in Asia but that arsenic comes from geology and from fallout from burning low quality coal. Organic chicken producers may score as people become more aware of the arsenic in conventional chicken products.Free range chickens should, in theory be less polluted with arsenic than conventional chickens Hope this helps, prof. joe cummins Stolz JF, Perera E, Kilonzo B, Kail B, Crable B, Fisher E, Ranganathan M, Wormer L, Basu P. Abstract Biotransformation of 3-nitro-4-hydroxybenzene arsonic acid (roxarsone) and release of inorganic arsenic by Clostridium species.
Environ Sci Technol. 2007 Feb 1;41(3):818-23.
The extensive use of 3-nitro-4-hydroxybenzene arsonic acid (roxarsone) in the production of broiler chickens can lead to increased soil arsenic concentration and arsenic contaminated dust. While roxarsone is the dominant arsenic species in fresh litter, inorganic As (V) predominates in composted litter. Microbial activity has been implicated as the cause,
Edna Weigel wrote:
A friend just learned arsenic is sometimes added to poultry food and she's worried that maybe the pellets she buys for her ducks and geese may contain arsenic. She has checked the label but worries that arsenic might be added but not listed among the ingredients or might be somehow hidden among the many chemicals on the list. My inclination is to think that if it is added, it would have to be listed (as arsenic, arsenite, or arsenate) on the ingredients label, but I'm not absolutely sure. I'm already aware that one just about has to be chemist, botanist, microbiologist, AND linguist to figure out if a given (people) food contains animal products, soy products or sugar, etc. Can someone out there tell us what form of arsenic is added to some poultry food and if there is a way to make sure what she buys doesn't contain added arsenic in any form? I might add that certified organic poultry food is not a reasonable option in our area. I know of no source for which shipping would not bring the price higher than what I pay for "people food grade" ingredients at our food co-op.
Regards,
Edna
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