Arsenic in food.Lasky et al. (2004) provided a notable contribution to the evaluation of the public health impacts of the use of arsenicals, among the many antimicrobials permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ) for administration in feed. To date, concerns have focused on the association between the use of these drugs and the prevalence of drug-resistant pathogens in beef, poultry, and pork products (Levy 2001). These concerns have prompted the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community (EU) to ban the use of antimicrobial drugs for nontherapeutic purposes in food animal production (Sorum and L'Abee-Lund 2002), and the FDA has initiated processes to stop fluoroquinolone fluoroquinolone /flu·o·ro·quin·o·lone/ (-kwin´o-lon) any of a subgroup of fluorine-substituted quinolones, having a broader spectrum of activity than nalidixic acid. fluor·o·quin·o·lone n. use in poultry and to reform its procedures for evaluating new drug applications for use in food animals. There has been less concern, internationally or nationally, over the potential public health risks associated with residues of growth promoters in meat products, although the discovery of chloramphenicol chloramphenicol (klōr'ămfĕn`əkŏl'), antibiotic effective against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria (see Gram's stain). It was originally isolated from a species of Streptomyces bacteria. in Asian shrimp in 2002 resulted in a requirement that all shrimp be tested before sale in the EU (Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand 2002). Arsenicals--arsanilic acid and roxarsone--are permitted for nontherapeutic uses as growth promoters in animal feeds in the United States [National Research Council (NRC NRC abbr. 1. National Research Council 2. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Noun 1. NRC - an independent federal agency created in 1974 to license and regulate nuclear power plants ) 1999]. Lasky et al. (2004) serve notice that we must re-evaluate this use of arsenicals not solely for environmental impacts (Jackson et al. 2003) but also for their role in human dietary exposures to arsenic. It is noteworthy that most studies of dietary sources of arsenic exposure do not examine flesh poultry or pork products (e.g., NRC 2000; Ryan et al. 2001). However, in two respects, the conclusions drawn by Lasky et al. (2004) probably underestimate the true risks. First, as the authors carefully noted, they had to estimate the concentrations of arsenic in muscle using the only U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA USDA, n.pr See United States Department of Agriculture. ) data available, analyses of liver concentrations. It would be interesting to know why the USDA does not analyze arsenic in muscle, the tissue most commonly consumed by humans. [In 1981, Westing west·ing n. 1. The difference in longitude between two positions as a result of a movement to the west. 2. Progress toward the west. [From west.] et al. (1981) reported higher levels of arsenic in edible muscle tissue from cattle given feeds containing poultry litter.] In the absence of real data, Lasky et al. used information from the drug manufacturer, Alpharma (Fort Lee, NJ), which supported an inference of a liver:muscle ratio of 2.9-11, depending on withdrawal time before slaughter. However, these assertions must be supported by data, particularly because broiler broiler a young (about 8 weeks old) male or female chicken weighing 3 to 3.5 lb. chickens are fed arsenicals throughout their lifespan. I was unable to find any article on the toxico-kinetics of arsenic in birds under controlled conditions; however, following the guidance of the World Health Organization/Food and Agrigulture Organization (WHO/FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA JECFA Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (international scientific review committee to evaluate safety of food additives, flavors, contaminants, and veterinary drug residues) ) 2000], I examined recent studies on arsenic metabolism in mammals. Hughes et al. (2003) reported that the body burden of arsenic in mice under repeated-dose exposure was significantly higher than that under acute exposures; moreover, elimination of arsenic after repeated doses was significantly slower than after an acute dose. Under repeated doses, the ratio of liver to muscle arsenic changed dramatically over time, and at day 17, arsenic in muscle was higher than in liver. Thus, it is likely that the actual concentrations of arsenic in edible portions of broiler poultry are higher than the estimates of Lasky et al. (2004). In addition, Lasky et al. (2004) referred to a 20-year-old assessment of the human health risks of ingesting arsenic (JECFA 1983). Much more recently, in a risk assessment of arsenic in drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. , the NRC (2000, 2001) concluded that the excess cancer risks associated with dietary exposures are considerably greater than those previously assumed by the WHO and other authorities. In its analysis of cancer risks (NRC 2001), the committee concluded that exposure to 50 ppb arsenic in drinking water could be associated with excess cancer risks on the order of 1 in 100 (all cancers). Exposure to 1.38-5.24 [micro]g/kg/day As from chicken consumption, as estimated by Lasky et al. (2004), would be a significant addition to drinking-water exposure based on the NRC's recommended maximum contamination level (MCL MCL - Macintosh Common LISP ) of 10 [micro]g/L (~ 3 L/day, or 30 [micro]g/day; for an adult weighing 70 kg, a daily exposure of 0.43 [micro]g/kg/day). Surely it is time for the U.S. government and international organizations to reconsider the acceptability of arsenic use in food-animal production. Arsenic contributes to the rise in drug resistance among pathogens (Liu et al. 2001), and its use contaminates the land when animal wastes are used as fertilizers (Arai et al. 2003; Garbarino et al. 2003; Rutherford et al. 2003; Wing and Wolf 2000). Also, direct consumer exposures via food may well be a significant and preventable portion of overall exposures to this human carcinogen carcinogen: see cancer. carcinogen Agent that can cause cancer. Exposure to one or more carcinogens, including certain chemicals, radiation, and certain viruses, can initiate cancer under conditions not completely understood. . The author declares she has no competing financial interests. REFERENCES Arai Y, Lanzirotti A, Sutton S, Davis JA, Sparks DL. 2003. Arsenic speciation speciation Formation of new and distinct species, whereby a single evolutionary line splits into two or more genetically independent ones. One of the fundamental processes of evolution, speciation may occur in many ways. and reactivity in poultry litter. Environ Sci Technol 37:4083-4090. Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand. 2002. Chloramphenicol in Shrimps. Available: http://www. deltha.cec.eu.int/en/news_2002/chloramphenicol_in_ shrimps.htm [accessed 2 April 2004]. Garbarino JR, Bednar AJ, Rutherford DW, Beyer RS, Wershaw RL. 2003. Environmental fate of roxarsone in poultry litter. I. Degration of roxarsone during composting, Environ Sci Technol 37:1509-1514. Hughes MF, Kenyon EM, Edwards BC, Mitchell CT, Del Razo LM, Thomas DJ. 2003. Accumulation and metabolism of arsenic in mice after repeated oral administration of arsenate ar·se·nate n. A salt of arsenic acid. arsenate an uncommon garden pesticide, as lead arsenate, or as antifungal spray on fruit trees or cattle tick dip as sodium arsenate. . Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 191:202-210. Jackson BP, Bertsch PM, Cabrera ML, Camberato JJ, Seaman JC, Wood CW. 2003. Trace element speciation in poultry litter, J Environ Qual 32:535-540. JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO FAO/WHO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation Expert Committee on Food Additives). 1983. Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants. Twenty-seventh Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. WHO Technical Report Series 696. Geneva Geneva, canton and city, Switzerland Geneva (jənē`və), Fr. Genève, canton (1990 pop. 373,019), 109 sq mi (282 sq km), SW Switzerland, surrounding the southwest tip of the Lake of Geneva. : World Health Organization. Available: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/ WHO_TRS See traffic engineering methods. TRS - term rewriting system _696.pdf [accessed 6 April 2004]. JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). 2000. Procedures for Recommending Maximum Residue Limits--Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food. Available: ftp://ftp.fao.org/es/esn/jeefa/2000-06-30_JECFA_ Procedures_MRLVD.pdf [accessed 6 April 2004]. Lasky T, Sun W, Kadry A, Hoffman MK. 2004. Mean total arsenic concentrations in chicken 1989-2000 and estimated exposures for consumers of chicken. Environ Health Perspect 112:18-21. Levy SB. 2001. Antibiotic resistance: consequences of inaction. Clin Infect Dis 33 (suppl 3):S124-S129. Liu J, Chen H, Miller DS, Saavedra JE, Keefer LK, Johnson DR, et al. 2001. Overexpression of glutathione S-transferase II and multidrug resistance transport proteins is associated with acquired tolerance to inorganic arsenic. Mol Pharmacol 60:302-309. NRC (National Research Council). 1999. The Use of Drugs in Food Animals: Benefits and Risks. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. NRC (National Research Council). 1999. Arsenic in Drinking Water. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. NRC (National Research Council). 2001. Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Rutherford DW, Bednar AJ, Garbarino JR, Needham R, Stayer stayer a horse that can gallop at racing speed for at least 1.5 miles (2.4 km). KW, Wershaw RI. 2003. Environmental fate of roxarsone in poultry litter. II. Mobility of arsenic in soils amended with poultry litter. Environ Sci Technol 37:4083-4090. Ryan PB, Scanlon KA, Macintosh DL. 2001. Analysis of dietary intake of selected metals in the NHEXAS-Maryland investigation. Environ Health Perspect 109:121-128. Sorum H, L'Abee-Lund TM. 2002, Antibiotic resistance in food-related bacteria--a result of interfering with the global web of bacterial genetics. Int J Food Microbiol 78:43-56. Westing TW, Fontenot JP, McClure WH, Kelly RE, Webb KE. 1901. Mineral element profiles of animal wastes and edible tissues from cattle fed animal waste. In: Livestock Waste: A Renewable Resource. Proceedings of the 4th Internationl Symposium on Animal Feeds. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 81-85. Wing S, Wolf S. 2000. Intensive livestock operations, health, and quality of life among eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina or (often abbreviated as ENC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the eastern third of North Carolina. It includes the Outer and Inner banks, thus it is often known geographically as the state's coastal region. residents. Environ Health Perspect 108:233-238. Ellen K. Silbergeld Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore, Maryland E-mail: esilberg@jhsph.edu |
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