A drug that farmers have given to chickens for decades is being pulled off the market after federal scientists found a potentially carcinogenic form of arsenic in the livers of animals treated with the substance, officials announced Wednesday.
Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer, is voluntarily suspending sales of the drug 3-Nitro, which has been given to chickens since the 1940s to protect them from a parasitic disease and help them gain weight, the Food and Drug Administration announced.
During a briefing for reporters, David Goldman of the Agriculture Department and Bernadette Dunham of the FDA stressed that the levels of arsenic detected in the chickens were very low and do not pose a health risk to consumers.
As a result, there is no need to recall any chickens treated with 3-Nitro from the market or for consumers to avoid eating chicken while the drug is removed, the officials said. The decision to remove the drug was made to eliminate a source of exposure to the substance.
“Consumers can continue to eat chicken as 3-Nitro is recalled from the market,” Dunham said.
Alpharma will continue to sell the drug for 30 days to give farmers time to switch to other drugs, the FDA said.
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