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Arsenic Chicken Additive To Be Banned in Maryland

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign a bill this week that would make Maryland the first state to ban an arsenic additive in chicken feed.

Last month, state lawmakers passed a bill banning the use of Roxarsone, a chemical used to help the birds grow and fight parasites.

Pfizer Inc., which distributes Roxarsone, stopped selling the chemical in July after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study found higher levels of inorganic arsenic in chicken treated with

Roxarsone than in those that were not fed the chemical. Arsenic is a known carcinogen.

Opponents have said the measure isn't needed because Pfizer Inc. voluntarily suspended sales of the chemical.

The law would take effect Jan. 1.

 

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.