April 9, 2012

 

 

Fresh research reveals banned antibiotics and arsenic in chicken products of the US, according to reports.

 

Two recent studies raise questions about what may be in chicken. The findings surprised the John Hopkins assistant professor who worked on both studies -- studies brought to light by New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof. The goal was to look for antibiotics which are used for growth, but they tested for other chemicals too.

 

"It was pure surprise," said Keeve Nachman from the John Hopkins Center. "They were included as part of the chemical panel that we used to test for antibiotics, which we did expect to find and it was quite shocking to us."

 

Nachman said in addition to finding four antibiotics banned more than five years ago, he also found the active ingredients of Tylenol and Benadryl, caffeine and even arsenic.

 

Nachman said he's heard anecdotes from farmers that some over-the-counter medications are given to animals, so they won't have tense muscles, which can lead to tougher meat. However he said there is no evidence of an immediate danger to people consuming chicken. Feather meal is a byproduct used as a supplement to feed animals.

 

"We didn't look directly at chicken meat, so we can only make inferences as to what we think might be in the meat based on the feathers," Nachman said. "What it says to me is that we really need to do a more thorough investigation of what drug residues are left behind in chicken meat as a result of what we choose to feed animals."

 

The National Chicken Council is shooting down the studies, saying as the studies' authors point out, they only looked at feathers, not meat. The group adds chickens in the U.S. produced for meat are not given arsenic as an additive in chicken feed, or any of the other compounds mentioned in the study.

 

A product that contained organic arsenic was removed from the market last year. A veterinarian who works closely with the poultry industry also says inorganic arsenic is a common heavy metal found in soil and plants.

 

"Since most of the poultry's feed is either corn or 75% corn with 10 or 15% soy bean meal, there's a possibility there could be some low levels of inorganic arsenic in the corn and soy beans they eat," said Charles Hofacre from the University of Georgia's department of avian medicine.

 

Nachman said while there may not be an immediate danger, more research is needed.

 

"It tells us that it would be worth looking at meat, because some of these residues may also be there," Nachman said. "But, we can't say with any certainty that they are."