Hyderabad: A month after the Cyberabad Police seized 100 tonne of chicken waste being trucked out of the city to be fed to fish, doctors in Hyderabad are warning that the practice carries risks that go well beyond the plate – from antibiotic resistance to food-borne infection.
According to the Cyberabad police, the accused, apprehended in August, sold the chicken waste to fish pond owners in Andhra Pradesh. Veterinary officials warned that consuming fish fed with chicken waste could cause cancer. The police inspected lorries that contained the waste and disposed of the same, including in Attapur, Miyapur, Aminpur, Kukatpally, Jeedimetla and Chintal.
Addressing the issue, Dr Mohammed Irfan Ali, Associate Consultant Physician at Virinchi Hospital, told Siasat.com, “Poultry chickens are given antibiotic shots and hormonal injections to speed up the maturity process.”
He explained that the technique followed by poultry owners is not guarded by guidelines and the chicken waste contains remnants of the injections. “Hence, when these antibiotics are fed to fish, which is later consumed by humans, it leads to antibiotic resistance,” Dr Ali said, adding that antibiotic resistance is seen in many patients due to which higher doses are prescribed for simple infections.
Dr Ch Rajitha, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Gandhi Medical College, stressed microbial contamination due to chicken waste being fed to fish. “Chicken waste can contain pathogenic microorganisms, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and pathogenic Escherichia Coli, along with other enteric organisms,” she said.
She added that if poultry waste contaminates aquaculture water, pathogens may enter the fish or the surrounding environment. “This can increase the risk of food-borne infections, particularly when fish are improperly handled or inadequately cooked,” Dr Rajitha said.
She also expressed concerns over possible chemical contamination, saying that based on the source and composition of the poultry waste, there could potentially be veterinary-drug residues, disinfectant residues, pesticides, heavy metals or other contaminants.
However, Dr Rajitha said that the presence and concentration of such contaminants cannot be assumed. The actual risk must be established through laboratory testing of the waste, pond environment and fish tissue.
Cancer concerns
Asked whether poultry waste could cause cancer, Dr Rajitha explained that potential cancer risk cannot be established merely because poultry waste was used as fish feed.
“It is necessary to identify a specific carcinogenic contaminant, establish the level and duration of human exposure, demonstrate that the contaminant accumulates in edible fish tissue at relevant concentrations and assess the toxicological or epidemiological evidence,” she said.
