Week of Jan. 24, 2004; Vol. 165, No. 4

Farmed salmon bring PCBs to the table

Ben Harder, Science News

http://www.sciencenews.org/20040124/note12.asp

High concentrations of chlorinated organic contaminants in farm-raised Atlantic salmon may warrant limiting consumption of the otherwise-healthful fish to no more than once per month, researchers say. They add that most wild-caught Pacific salmon can be eaten at least 2 or 4 times monthly without significantly increasing cancer risk.

Compared with wild salmon caught in the northern Pacific Ocean, salmon farmed in Europe and North America are significantly more contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 13 other organic chemicals, report Ronald Hites of Indiana University in Bloomington and his colleagues, in the Jan. 9 Science. Salmon farmed in Chile contain PCBs and five of the other chemicals in higher average concentrations than wild salmon has, the study also found.

The researchers base their dietary advice on cancer-risk assessments that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made for four of the contaminants, including PCBs. The U.S. government has not endorsed the consumption limits suggested by Hites' team. Nobody has yet evaluated whether the cancer risks from contaminants outweigh the benefits derived from consuming salmon's heart-helping fats, most notably the omega-3 fatty acids.

Hites and his colleagues used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to analyze salmon samples culled from nearly 600 fish of various wild and farmed varieties, plus 144 farm-produced fillets.

The researchers also analyzed contaminants in commercial salmon feeds from Chile, Europe, and North America, since diet is the fish's main source of chlorinated contaminants. They found the heaviest contamination of both fish and feed in Europe.

Rare 20 years ago, farmed Atlantic salmon now account for the majority of salmon available in supermarkets. Globally, more than 1 billion kilograms are farmed each year.

Calif.'s farmed salmon industry to be sued

Friday, January 23, 2004 Posted: 10:41 AM EST (1541 GMT)

link to article

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- The farmed salmon industry faces legal action in California for failing to warn consumers that the fish contain what environmental groups say are potentially dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

The Environmental Working Group and the Center for Environmental Health filed notice last week of their intent to sue 50 salmon farms, fish processors and grocery chains under a California anti-toxics law.

"Our goal is to challenge them to change their practices so their fish is safe to eat," said Michael Green, executive director for the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health.

The potential lawsuit comes after a major study published earlier this month in the journal Science found that farm-raised salmon contains significantly more contaminants than salmon caught in the wild because of PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, in feed. It recommended that farmers change fish feed and urged consumers to buy wild salmon.

The farmed salmon industry disputes the conclusions, citing experts who say the benefits outweigh the risks of eating farmed salmon.

"(Consumers) will be doing themselves and their families a great disservice if they stop eating farmed salmon," said Alex Trent, executive director of the trade group Salmon of the Americas. He noted that farmed salmon, a source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, is much cheaper than wild salmon and can be purchased year-round.

Under Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, companies are required to notify consumers if their products contain hazardous levels of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm.

State law requires private groups to first file notice of their intent to sue to give the state attorney general and other prosecutors 60 days to decide whether to join or take over the lawsuit.

Defendants named include major U.S. grocery chains such as Safeway Inc., Kroger Co., Albertsons Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. and farmed salmon producers in Canada and Europe.

That's a joke. Farmed salmon lacks the most important benefit of eating salmon: Omega3 fatty acids.

I'll stick with my wild salmon, thank you very much.