FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2005

CONTACT: Jim Tobin
919-653-2582

Dioxin Risk Varies by the Type of Salmon Eaten
Report in Environmental Health Perspectives compares farm-raised and wild fish

[Research Triangle Park, NC] Farm-raised salmon is more likely than wild salmon to be contaminated with dioxins, according to a study published in the May 2005 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives. This effect is believed to be related to the levels of dioxins and other organic contaminants in the feed given to farmed fish. While the study authors acknowledge recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and the American Heart Association that frequent consumption of fish is beneficial, they suggest that the risk of cancer and other health effects may outweigh the benefits that some types of seafood offer.

Dioxins are pollutants associated with numerous adverse health effects, most notably cancer but also extending to immune suppression, learning disabilities, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired prostate development, and endometriosis. Women who become pregnant may be at increased risk due to the effect of certain seafood toxicants on the developing fetus.

For the study, the researchers gathered samples of wild Pacific salmon and farmed salmon from around the world. They used U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methods to test the levels of dioxins and other toxicants in the fish, and reported the values using Word Health Organization equivalence factors. They found that farmed salmon from Northern European sources had higher concentrations of the pollutants, followed by farmed salmon from North and South America. Wild salmon contained significantly less dioxin.

The authors write that certain preparation and cooking methods sometimes reduce contaminant levels in the fish. However, the amount of contaminant reduction is highly variable within species, among species, and among contaminants. And despite education efforts, most consumers remain unaware of these best practices. The authors point to the “urgent need” for consistent practices worldwide for developing reliable consumption advisories, and call for labeling that identifies fish as wild or farm-raised.

The lead author of the study was Jeffery A. Foran of the Midwest Center for Environmental Science and Public Policy, Milwaukee. Other authors included David O. Carpenter, M. Coreen Hamilton, Barbara A. Knuth, and Steven J. Schwager. The research was initiated and supported by the Environmental Division of the Pew Charitable Trusts. The article is available free of charge at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7626/7626.html.

EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. EHP is an Open Access journal. More information is available online at http://www.ehponline.org/. Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing handles marketing and public relations for the publication, and is responsible for creation and distribution of this press release.

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