Why the FDA Still Allows a Carcinogen in Pork Products

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Alternative Health, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Carbadox, a drug given to pigs in U.S. farms, is a known carcinogen that international experts declared unsafe at any level of exposure
Even though the FDA has acknowledged carbadox's risks for decades, industry pressure and regulatory delays have allowed it to remain on the market
Other countries, including Canada, Brazil, the U.K., Australia, and the entire European Union, banned carbadox years ago, leaving American consumers exposed to risks considered unacceptable elsewhere
A study found no carbadox residues in limited pork samples tested, but most producers refused to disclose whether they still use the drug, highlighting a lack of transparency and oversight
You can protect yourself by avoiding pork due to its linoleic acid content, or by choosing responsibly raised pork, supporting humane farming, and signing petitions to pressure regulators and companies to end carbadox use

Transcript

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0:00.0	What would you do if a carcinogen could be entering your kitchen through everyday pork products?
0:05.0	Even as regulators admit the risk, but keep it on the market.
0:09.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen
0:14.0	summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required.
0:18.0	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:22.4	Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster and today we're
0:27.6	examining Carbodox, a drug used in U.S. pig farming that international authorities have determined has
0:33.5	no safe level of exposure. We're looking at how it persists in the food system, what the latest
0:38.7	testing shows, and what you can do right now to protect yourself. I'm Alara Sky. This conversation
0:45.7	focuses on facts you can act on. Carbodox is a feed additive used to promote faster growth
0:52.0	and to suppress gut infections that spread in crowded facilities.
0:56.0	Experts concluded that even tiny residues can leave behind carcinogenic byproducts that damage DNA.
1:03.0	Despite this, Carbodox remains on the U.S. market.
1:07.0	The regulatory record is clear on two points.
1:10.0	The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has long acknowledged cancer risks, and meaningful action
1:16.2	has been repeatedly delayed.
1:18.4	Pushback from industrial farming interests, lobbying by drug makers, and slow procedures
1:23.7	have stretched this out for decades.
1:26.0	When regulators stall, exposure continues for consumers.
1:29.3	You also need to consider the broader pathway of exposure.
1:33.3	Farm workers handling medicated feed inhaled dust that carries carbidox particles.
1:38.3	Waste from large-scale operations can move through waterways, affecting surrounding communities. This is not just a question
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