Maryland bans arsenic use in poultry feed

Maryland has become the first state in the United States to ban an arsenic additive in poultry feed. A law banning the use of Roxarsone is among new state laws taking effect Jan. 1.

Pfizer, which distributes Roxarsone, a chemical used to help the birds grow and fight parasites, stopped selling the chemical in July after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study found higher levels of inorganic arsenic in chicken treated with the additive than those that were not. Arsenic is a known carcinogen.