WORM MEDICATION IN OUR MEAT AND DAIRY

Should we be eating animal worming medication?
 The U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered traces of harmful veterinary drugs and heavy metals in U.S. beef, including:

1. Ivermectin, an animal wormer that can cause neurological damage in humans.
2. Flunixin, a veterinary drug that can cause kidney damage, stomach, and colon ulcers, as well as blood in the stool of humans.

3. Penicillin, a drug that can cause life-threatening reactions in people who are allergic to it.

4. Arsenic, a known carcinogen that is allowed in some nonorganic animal feeding operations. (It is commonly fed to chickens, and chicken litter, or feces, is sometimes fed to feedlot cattle—and the majority of supermarket and fast-food beef in this country comes from feedlot operations.)

5. Copper, an essential element we need for our survival but that's harmful when too much accumulates in our bodies. And it is being found in the beef we eat, although U.S. agencies haven't been protecting consumers from it, even though some Third World countries manage to do so. In 2008, Mexican authorities rejected U.S. beef because it contained copper in excess of Mexico's tolerance levels. Because the U.S. doesn't have a set threshold for copper in beef, the meat was sent to U.S. stores, and ultimately, purchased by U.S. consumers.
Shopping tip: If you don't want to buy organic in the store, find a local farmer you can trust, visit the farm to inspect conditions, and ask what they do to prevent and treat livestock diseases.