-Caveat Lector- Monday June 4 1:28 PM ET Group Says Chicken, Eggs Contaminated with Drugs LONDON (Reuters Health) - Government regulators have ''seriously misled'' the public about the high incidence of dangerous antimicrobial drug residues found in chicken and eggs, the Soil Association claimed Monday. The association, which promotes organic farming, said: ''Despite repeated assertions by regulators that nearly all poultry products are free from detectable residues, figures show clearly that about 20% of chicken meat and 10% of the eggs tested contain residues of drugs deemed too dangerous for use in human medicine.'' The claims are made by Richard Young and Alison Craig, authors of the Soil Association report, ``Too Hard to Swallow, the truth about drugs and poultry,'' which has been timed to coincide with a meeting of scientists in Brussels on June 6 and 7 to re-evaluate the safety of these drugs. The report challenges statements from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), a United Kingdom government group, that 99% of poultry meat and 97% of eggs are free of detectable residues. This reassurance is the result of statistical distortion, the report claims. It notes, ``In fact, the results of positive tests for individual drugs are expressed as a percentage of all tests undertaken for all substances, most of which are never found.'' Of most concern, it states, are the drugs used to control tiny intestinal parasites in poultry that can cause severe losses in intensive production systems. These include nicarbazin, lasalocid and dimetridazole, all of which pose ``potential risks to animal or human health.'' Young said in a news release, ``These antimicrobial drugs have never been properly evaluated for safety, but there is evidence that they have the ability to cause cancer, birth defects and heart attacks. Some residue samples are more than 50 times over the legal limit, yet the VMD has brought no prosecutions. We want to see their use stopped as quickly as possible.'' In the case of nicarbazin, the report states the drug has never been carefully evaluated for safety in humans but studies showed it could cause birth defects and hormonal problems in animals. In 1999, the last year for which full figures are available, 17.8% of chicken livers tested had residues of nicarbazin in excess of the maximum residue limit of 200 micrograms per kilogram, the highest being 10,500 micrograms per kilogram--over 50 times the legally permitted level. Lasalocid was not licensed for laying hens and is toxic to the heart, the report added. Yet in 1999, one in every dozen eggs tested contained residues of lasalocid above the informal action level of 100 micrograms per kilogram. The highest of these was 5,400 micrograms per kilogram. Twelve percent of chicken muscle also tested positive. Dimetridazole (DMZ) was suspected of being able to induce both cancer and birth defects. It was licensed for turkeys and pheasants rather than chicken or laying hens, yet in 1998, 2%, and in 1999, 0.5%, of eggs contained residues of DMZ, the report said. The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food said in a statement, ``It is important to stress there has been no attempt to mislead or misrepresent any figures. All test results are fully reported every year and have been since 1995. ``Every year the Veterinary Medicines Directorate takes about 37,000 samples to test for residues. It was encouraging that last year around 99.5% of all samples were residue free. ``The residues mentioned in the Soil Association report were all found at levels well below World Health Organisation safety limits.'' ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
