Warning on Farmed salmon

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Author Comment Old Git Mother of All Despots posts: 1862 (1/3/01 8:46:54 am) 165.247.137.16 Reply | Edit | Del All

Warning on farmed salmon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC

Wednesday, 3 January, 2001, 13:27 GMT Farmed salmon 'contaminated'

Salmon farmers are trying to reduce toxic contamination Scientists are calling for urgent research to be carried out into the safety of farmed salmon after research showed that some fish contain worrying levels of potentially dangerous chemicals.

Dr Miriam Jacobs of Surrey University found the farmed fish contain high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The production of PCBs is banned in most countries - but the chemicals accumulate in oceans after being released by industrial waste.

The chemicals are thought to affect human nervous, immune and reproductive systems.

Dr Jacobs traced the contamination back to feed that includes fish meal and oil which come from wild fish trawled from the world's oceans in vast quantities by industrial fleets.

Concentrating the nutritional value of these fish into pellets to produce a high-protein diet for farmed salmon multiplies the minute traces of toxins present in each individual fish into a more significant dose.

Once ingested, PCBs build up in body fat and take years to break down.

Toxic pollutants

Greenpeace scientist Dr Paul Johnston said: "Ultimately all these practices lead to products that are consumed by human beings.

"We are maximising human exposure to these chemicals by promoting an artificial food chain."

PCBs are among the most toxic and persistent pollutants in existence - attacking the nervous system, causing learning difficulties in children and suppressing the body's immune system.

They are also thought to be responsible for so-called gender bending effects because they mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen.

Studies indicate the chemicals can cause decreased sperm counts, deformed genitals and sterility.

The World Health Organisation is sufficiently concerned about the potential consequences to have cut its guidelines on the recommended intake of salmon to just one tenth of the previous figure.

Limits cut

The European Union has also reduced its limits by 90%.

But flagship government watchdog the Food Standards Agency has not followed its lead.

The agency's website points out the potential health benefits of eating oily fish - but makes no mention of the dangers.

And food safety expert Professor Hugh Pennington told the BBC: "It is an extremely good food, and some studies show it can help prevent heart attacks.

"But if there are small amounts of chemicals then one must counsel moderation."

He said that one portion of salmon a week was unlikely to cause any harm, even to young people.

However he added: "We should be monitoring the salmon perhaps more often and we should be making sure that what goes into the fish doesn't contain these chemicals, then there isn't a problem".

A spokesman for the Fishmeal & Oil Manufacturers Association said it is aware of chemical concentration in feed.

Salmon farmers are looking at ways of reprocessing fishmeal to reduce toxic contamination, he added.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001


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