Study Shows Farmed Salmon PCB Levels 7X That Of Wild Fish - NYT

[hatrack]

"A new study of fillets from 700 salmon, wild and farmed, finds that the farmed fish consistently have more PCB's and other contaminants, but at levels far below the limits set by the federal government.

The study, the largest so far to look at contaminants in salmon, is being published today in the journal Science. It found more than a sevenfold difference in PCB levels, with farmed salmon having an average of 36.63 parts per billion and wild salmon having 4.75.

The authors advised people to limit their consumption of salmon. "Although the risk/benefit computation is complicated," they wrote, "consumption of farmed Atlantic salmon may pose risks that detract from the beneficial effects of fish consumption."

EDIT

Officials of the Food and Drug Administration disputed the study's recommendations. "We certainly don't think there's a public health concern here," said Dr. Terry Troxell, director of the agency's office of plant and dairy foods and beverages. "Our advice to consumers is not to alter their consumption of farmed or wild salmon."

EDIT

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/09/science/09SALM.html

[ugarte]

1. Pass that mad piece of beef instead

Or maybe a little tuna to feed my mercury jones.

[yellowcanine]

2. Times headline is a little misleading

Seven times almost zero is still almost zero and that appears to be the case here. Also, if one reads the Science article, it is clear that not all farm raised salmon should be considered together in terms of contaminants. The levels from European farms were much higher than the levels from Canadian and Chilean farms. OTOH the FDA guy probably goes a little too far when he says there is no public health concern. People should always be concerned about contaminants in food. It is a question of balancing risks. In this case it appears that the benefits of salmon consumption almost certainly outweigh the risks of eating farm raised salmon, even salmon from Europe, particularly for people at high risk for heart disease.