70% of chickens in the U.S. are fed arsenic

[AZBlue]

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/50978/

In fact, according to the piece, the average U.S. chicken has about 390 parts per billion of arsenic, "which is three to four times greater than arsenic levels in other types of poultry and meat from other animals."

I need to just quote from the story directly about the possible impact of this:

"According to the Environmental Protection Agency, long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause bladder, lung, skin, kidney, and colon cancer, as well as deleterious immunological, neurological, and endocrine effects. Low-level exposures can lead to partial paralysis and diabetes...

"Even though the drinking water standard for arsenic has been strengthened, the standards for arsenic residues in poultry-2,000 ppb for liver and 500 ppb for muscle-have remained unchanged for decades. Furthermore, neither the Food & Drug Administration nor the Department of Agriculture has actually measured the level of arsenic in the poultry meat that most people consume..."

The article goes on to say that an even bigger problem is animal protein itself. Unfortunately it doesn't tell you how to figure out if your chicken came from the 70% or the 30% group!

[Evoman]

1. It makes them more tasty.

Why do you hate America?

[AZBlue]

10. But that's HUGH1

[Kikosexy2]

2. After reading this...

those Foster Farm chicken puppets look very fresh now....

[Double T]

3. All DU chicken carnivores better update their wills.............

'WE' are all goners.

[StarryNite]

6. Yeah but

the veggies aren't any safer.

[Double T]

8. All DU fruit and vegetable herbivores better update your wills.......

'WE' are all goners....too.

[myrna minx]

4. But what does booosh's chicken plucker's have to say about this?

*taps foot*

[shain from kane]

5. What is the figure for Chicken McNuggets? Since it's not real chicken(?), I thought that it

might be safer. Imagine a steady diet of Chicken McNuggets in order to save your life.

[Vilis Veritas]

12. Actually it is chicken...

From another country. Less rules, cheaper chickens. Heavily processed.

Who knows what goes in there. Take a chance? Not me.

Would be funny though if all the sudden the Surgeon General warned us to not eat any real food. "You see, spinach, chicken, all vegetables they are all contaminated...so here is the number to Jenny Craig, just order and feel safe that your food supply will be clean."

;-)

[shain from kane]

7. Didn't Ross Perot warn us about this?

[Vilis Veritas]

9. Arsenic is the least worry...

It takes 3 weeks to get a 3lb chicken. They deliver a week old chick and 3 weeks later they pick up a 3lb chicken.

3 weeks. You think the Arsenic is the biggest problem? Not a chance. Lets talk about all the growth hormones that are no longer listed as hormones by the FDA so that growers can say that their chickens are hormone free...not to mention the antibiotic soup they are fed so that they can keep them beak to beak without getting sick.

3 weeks. Antibiotic soup. Hormones that are not homrones.

Arsenic? Pah! :sarcasm:

[AZBlue]

11. I eat hormone-free meat and dairy - but now I need to look for arsenic-free too??

Wonder how that's labeled as an additive?!

[Vilis Veritas]

13. I know growers in AK...

They say that there is a new class of feed. No 'hormones' technically, but the chickens grow large in 3 weeks.

You decide.

[AZBlue]

14. That's disgusting.

[kestrel91316]

16. They raise chickens in Alaska??

[AZBlue]

17. Ha! I think he and I made the same goof....Arkansas (AR)

I think?
:shrug:

(I admit it...I confuse the abbreviations for Alaska, Arkansas and Alabama!)

[Critters2]

24. I thought that too. Seemed wrong. But then, if you keep 'em confined

and never expose 'em to fresh air, Alaska's as good as Iowa.

[Vilis Veritas]

25. Oops...I meant AR...Arkansas...

Just outside of Fayetteville, little town called Combs. We had a farm out there.

Missed the edit time...was flying out the door from work to get to a parent teacher conference...my bad. :dunce:

They only do frozen chicken nuggets in Alaska last I heard.

[Vilis Veritas]

26. I think the way the regulation is written...

is that a certain percentage of Organic Arsenic in the feed is considered negligible and does not need to be mentioned.

The real problem is that only a small amount is absorbed by the chickens, the rest is excreted and then becomes litter. This litter is applied to field as fertilizer. The organic arsenic breaks down into inorganic arsenic which is toxic to humans. Cyclical in nature...feed is grown, fed back to chickens, pigs, cows, used for crops...we humans, being the end user, consume it all.

They use the arsenic in chickens as an antibiotic (hence the label NO ANTIBIOTICS). It also acts as a weight gain aid.

[AZBlue]

30. Seriously? So, organic chicken can have this in it?!

I thought I was safe eating organic!

[Vilis Veritas]

32. No...I was unclear

Sorry. Organic chicken can not LEGALLY be fed arsenic.

My apologies.

Here is a link. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/arsenic_poultry_litter.html

Read and decide for yourself.

[AZBlue]

35. Ah...gotcha!

I may have misunderstood too - thanks for the clarification!

Of course, organic chicken is about $8 a pound, so it doesn't help all that much, but it is a relief to know it's ok - when I can afford it! ;)

[Vilis Veritas]

38. Yep.

I always buy organic when I can...

I still think the best thing to do in life is to always remain happy and positive. Stress has been shown to be the most invasive agent yet. Stress does odd things to our bio-chemistry.

A good round of laughing does more for the body than you know...:rofl:

[Vilis Veritas]

34. All organic growers should

be practicing safe growing.

My concern is the influx of foreign organic growers for large corporation like walmart where the US can not enforce proper oversight.

Eating organic is safe. I apologize if it sounded otherwise.

[stillcool]

15. Eugene has a thread up here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x745229
AP: Hogs Fed Bad Pet Food Are Quarantined (in 6 states)

[Sapere aude]

18. Don't eat meat and you won't have to worry about it.

With the level of food inspection these days, I wonder why more people aren't refusing to eat this stuff?

[AZBlue]

20. Problem is (for me at least) I need a high level of protein in my diet

and it's not easy to do that with a vegetarian lifestyle. Yes, I know...beans have protein - but really, how many beans can one person eat?!

[renie408]

29. Soy is your friend.

I became a vegetarian about six weeks ago. I am the original meat and potatos girl. I NEVER thought I would be able to survive on a vegetarian diet. Atkins? No problem. Vegetarian? Not so much. I am not a strict vegan, I will eat eggs and cheese. We have chickens, so it wasn't that big a leap to stop eating them. I read some stuff about the lives of feedlot cattle and I swear, I just couldn't eat traditionally raised meat any more. From there, it wasn't that far a leap to go ahead and stop eating meat altogether. My husband has stopped, too. And honestly, we don't miss it. If you do a lot of reading, you will find out that there are complete forms of protein available in the plant world. Anyway, not selling or anything, just saying it isn't as hard for a person who feels like they need a lot of protein to get along on a vegetarian diet as you might think.

[ncabot22]

33. I would love to be a vegetarian, but....

If I don't eat meat I start to bruise. I have no idea why but there is something in meat that my body needs. I once went four weeks w/o eating meat and had bruises everywhere.

I really wish you continued luck! I envy your ability to do without meat.

[AZBlue]

36. Hmmmm....usually a lack of vitamin c, k, b12 or folic acid is related to increased bruising -

I know meat is full of b12 - maybe that's the reason? If you took a supplement you might be able to cut back on meat? Dunno - maybe ask a doc?

[renie408]

39. Yep, what he said. You might want to do some research if it really is something

you are interested in.

[ncabot22]

41. Thanks, that is a good idea

I will admit, I've never taken supplements. I suppose I should. D'oh!

[Vilis Veritas]

37. I heard this

had something to do with an iron. The particlar form of iron in red meat.

But then what do I know, I just read a lot...and I am not a doctor...oops.

[Ilsa]

40. I'm learning to cook with tofu. I've been a vegetarian almost two years.

You'll have alot more energy, I bet. I also get protein from nuts and seeds. It's easier to go veg than you think.

[Vilis Veritas]

28. The real problem is that

the chickens only absorb a small amount of arsenic. The rest is excreted. It becomes litter, fertilizer. This is sold and spread on fields for crops. Some are food crops. Some are feed crops. We eat the veggies that were fed the chicken litter...Hard to avoid unless you go completely organic...of course we all know that THOSE regulations are bullet proof, especially now that Walmart has started selling organics...

Eat, drink, be happy. Each day is a another day of life.

Stress causes more cancer than anything, at least in my opinion...

[BlooInBloo]

19. I feel so bad for the 10s of 1000s of families of those who died from chicken.

[and-justice-for-all]

21. Those poor animals....

It makes me sick to think about this. I am not much of a meat eater anymore, I do have chicken from time to time and I have not had any beef products for over a year now, I dont even drink milk anymore.

When something is being fed POISON, thats abuse/cruelty and I can not stomach animal cruelty.

Why in the fuck would someone fed something POISON and then fed that to people?? thats like mass murder.

[Vilis Veritas]

27. Arsenic is used as an antibiotic....

Hence they can get away with the label NO ANTIBIOTICS.

Great.

[WinkyDink]

22. Good thing Conservatives are such stewards of the earth.

[live love laugh]

23. Oh great. I cut down on red meat to be healthier and now this.

I guess I'll just have to choose which poison is worse.

[nam78_two]

31. Sadly unsurprising

:(..

[Blue-Jay]

42. 30% of chickens are fed old lace.

There is a pie-chart to prove that somewhere.