As you may know, for years I have been working to try to take arsenic out of the foods that make it to our dinner table—chiefly chicken.

For years, many poultry growers added an unnecessary arsenic-containing product to poultry feed known as Roxarsone. Much of the arsenic passed through chickens grown in Maryland as manure, which is used to fertilize farmland and often runs into waterways, and some of the arsenic remained in broiler chickens destined for the dinner table.

In June 2011, Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., announced that it voluntarily would discontinue sales of Roxarone, an arsenic-containing product used by poultry producers. Because the decision remains with that company whether to continue its self-imposed moratorium, I am concerned that Roxarone sales may resume in the future and support a ban on its use.

Last session I co-sponsored House Bill 754, which sought to prohibit a person from using, selling, or distributing commercial feed intended for use as poultry feed that contains any additive that contains arsenic. Unfortunately, HB 754 was withdrawn due to confusion over consumer and environmental safety risks regarding arsenic-containing additives.

This session, I again am co-sponsoring legislation, HB 167, that will prohibit the use of arsenic in poultry feed and will be working to ensure this dangerous practice does not continue in Maryland. 

I have been working to raise awareness of this issue for several years and hope that we soon can take arsenic off the dinner table.