A spokeswoman for the New York state Department of Agriculture and Markets said Friday that rodent poison was found in tainted pet food that killed several animals and sparked a nationwide recall, according to NBC.com.
ABC News reported that the chemical was aminopterin, which was on wheat imported from China. The chemical is not legal in the U.S.
A news conference is expected at 1 p.m. EDT.
Update: News conference was not definitive. It is not known whether this same chemical could also be in human food. It is thought that the pet food contamination may be much more broad than has already been announced.
Hmmm, Aminopterin: ETYMOLOGY: amino- + pterin, a chemical compound derived from pteridine, a compound first identified in butterflies’ wings (from Greek pteron, wing; see pet- in Indo-European roots)
It could have been worse – it could have been an organic problem, like mold toxins, that may have been tougher to combat. Some molds are tough to eradicate and can even spread. It’s still not the most pleasant development, but at least it’s a chemical that can be counteracted by folinic acid.
Of course, I can’t find any information that will tell me if folinic acid is toxic in cats.
At the news conference they did say it is toxic in cats.