020626 Stepped Up Seafood Testing for Banned AntibioticJune 15, 2002Washington - U.S. regulators said on Friday they would do more testing of imported shrimp and crayfish for traces of chloramphenicol, a strong antibiotic that can be harmful to humans. The Food and Drug Administration said it was taking the action because some states and other countries had found low levels of the potent antibiotic in imported shrimp and crayfish, also known as crawfish. Chloramphenicol, which can have severe side effects, is only used to treat people in cases of serious infections. "It has not been possible to identify a safe level of human exposure to chloramphenicol," an FDA statement said. The United States bans the drug's use in food-producing animals and animal feed products. The FDA said it would refuse entry to any product confirmed to contain chloramphenicol. In January, the European Union suspended imports of some Chinese meat and seafood, saying they contained chloramphenicol. China banned the use of the drug in animals and animal feeds in March.
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