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Arsenic-based poulty feed additives intended to aid the growth of chickens is close to being banned in Maryland.
Maryland is set to become the first state to ban an arsenic additive in chicken feed, after state lawmakers passed a bill last month banning the use of Roxarsone, a chemical used to help chickens grow and fight parasites. Governor Martin O'Malley is expected to sign it this week and it would take effect January 1, 2013.
Roxarsone has been distributed by a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical firm Pfizer Inc., but the company stopped selling the chemical back in July after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found higher levels of inorganic arsenic in chicken that had eaten food treated with Roxarsone than in those that were not fed the chemical.
Arsenic is a known carcinogen.
Opponents argued the bill wasn't needed, since Pfizer voluntarily suspended sales of Roxarsone. The FDA has said it does not believe there's any need to stop eating chicken or to recall chicken meat already in the supply chain.
NPR
Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process
After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.NPR
In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial
Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.NPR
Lois Lerner's Brief And Awful Day On Capitol Hill
The IRS bureaucrat showed up long enough at a House hearing into the scandal engulfing her agency to declare her innocence and her constitutional right to say no more.NPR
How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started
You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.Leave a Comment
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