FDA says chromium compound killed cows
SEATTLE — The federal Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it has identified a toxic substance that sickened and killed Enumclaw dairy cows.
A news release from the agency said the substance was a strong oxidizing chromium compound, though it did not identify the specific compound, say what it is typically used for or how it might have gotten on the cows.
“It’s not something we use in the dairy industry,” said Jay Gordon, executive director for the state Dairy Federation.
Chromium compounds have a wide range of uses, from nutritional supplements to glass cleaners. Dr. Robert Brackett, food safety director for the FDA, said he would not release information about this compound — a tacky, reddish-brown substance — for fear of compromising the criminal investigation.
“It’s not as if that particular metal is that rare or that odd,” Brackett said.
“What form it’s in is really what makes the difference — and what quantity — in whether it’s a nutrient or whether it’s a toxin.”
Chromium is used in various industries from electroplating to television manufacturing, according to the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center in Arlington, Va.
Oxidizing agents add oxygen to other substances, changing their chemistry. Some household examples are bleach, which is used to clean clothes, and hydrogen peroxide, which is used to bleach hair. Many different chemicals are oxidants.
The most common types of strong oxidizing chromium compounds are chromic acid and chromates, which are used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, said Professor James Mayer of the University of Washington’s chemistry department.
“They’re very intense cleaners for certain kinds of metals or glasses,” he said.
“They’re not anything you’re likely to be able to find or buy in a store. They are hazardous to use and hazardous waste when they’re used.
“I would be very surprised if they were involved in the food industry,” he said.
Ten cows became sick and three died after Enumclaw farmer John Koopman found the substance on them June 6. Their backs had blistered from exposure to it, and the cows became lethargic.
Koopman did not immediately return a call for comment on the FDA finding.
Koopman pulled from distribution all milk from the sick animals, out of fear from contaminating the food supply, but the FDA said Wednesday that its tests on the milk of the sick animals showed even lower levels of chromium than allowed in drinking water.
Some distributors had been voluntarily withholding milk from other cows at the dairy, which is about 35 miles southeast of Seattle, but the agency said that milk may be sold.
“We have no reason to believe that milk is unsafe at all,” Brackett said.
King County sheriff’s spokesman John Urquhart said he had no information about the compound.
“This is one step in the investigation to determine what the material is,” said Robbie Burroughs, a Seattle FBI spokeswoman. “The investigation is continuing.”