skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Lawsuit Seeks to Eliminate Arsenic in Animal Feed

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 7, 2013   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is facing a lawsuit because it continues to allow arsenic in animal feed given to chickens, turkeys and hogs. The suit was filed on behalf of a handful of advocacy groups, including the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

According to Institute senior advisor in science, food and health Dr. David Wallinga, the suit stems from a petition on the matter that was filed against the FDA three years ago.

"Basically saying this is arsenic. We don't need it to raise these animals for meat and, in fact, it's a public health hazard so let's do something about it," he urged. "And we think that FDA did not respond to the petition, so we're filing suit to force their hand and protect public health."

The arsenic that's used in animal feed is known as organic. It had been considered somewhat benign, but Wallinga stated that in reality arsenic is arsenic.

"Whether you're talking about a chicken that's eating this arsenic in their feed or whether it's a human being who's taking it in somehow in the meat they eat, the body can convert that organic form of arsenic into the other forms that are actually closely tied with risk of cancer," he warned.

The arsenic in the feed is supposed to help with animal growth and meat coloring, but Wallinga said that when it is mixed in with all the other drugs and ingredients in the feed, it's not clear that arsenic helps at all.

"Long before we fed arsenic to animals, we were raising them just fine without arsenic," he remarked. "And in fact, countries around the world including the European Union never approved these arsenic chemicals as being safe to put into animal feed."

The suit seeks to yank FDA approval of the four different animal-feed arsenic products that are currently on the market.

More information on the suit is at bit.ly/13dwusD.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021