Drugs in the Food Chain

Over at Alex Brown Racing, Alex Brown has been conducting an informal study of how many horses that are slaughtered in Canada have bute in their systems. The results are 99%, which should not be a surprise. What is surprising, however, is that the resulting horse meat, which is sent to Europe, is contaminated with the stuff and humans are eating it.

One need look no farther than the case of a bald eagle, whose blood toxicology was recently assessed at Penn's New Bolton Center, to realize the effects of any drug--in this case it was a barbiturate--on any animal's nervous system.

The bald eagle in question was rescued by Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research after it hit a power line and was found on the ground. At first glance, the bird's wobbly state was believed to have been a result of his head trauma, but the toxicology results showed otherwise.

"The tests confirmed the elevated blood lead level and also ruled out mercury poisoning a another possible cause of the bird's clinical signs," said D. Lisa Murphy. "Further blood testing revealed significant quantities of barbiturates, which also probably explained the eagle's unusual symptoms. It is not uncommon for birds of prey and other scavengers to become sickened by these drugs, generally after feeding on a euthanized animals."

The bird recovered and was eventually set free but it brings up interesting questions about the lingering effects of any drugs that are in the foods we eat. There are many who believe that the growing rate of human antibiotic resistance is a result of eating meat from cows who have been fed antibiotics all their lives to prevent disease in factory farming conditions.

Not that one should eat horse meat in the first place, but what are the implications of interjecting controlled substances like bute into the food chain? A strong and compelling argument for eliminating slaughter that has nothing to do with the emotional or political issues that surround the topic. One would hope that FDA would follow Alex's lead and generate some scientific data on the topic.