Farmed salmon, an increasingly popular dish on dinner tables worldwide, contains significantly higher levels of toxic substances than the more expensive wild variety, a team of US and Canadian researchers said.
An article published on Thursday by the US periodical Science said that analysis of some two tons of farmed salmon from around the world had notably found higher concentrations of toxic chemicals known as PCB’s, and chlorinated pesticides, than in wild fish.
The pollution, which is a potential cause of cancer in humans, was believed to come from the types of food given to the salmon in fish farms, the researchers said, adding that more research on the issue was needed.
A statement released on behalf of the research team by the State University of New York at Albany also said that European-raised salmon tended to contain higher levels of contaminants than salmon raised in North and South America.
The researchers “cite the need for additional studies on salmon feed which is high in fish meal and fish oil and a likely source of the contaminant,” the statement said.
It added that on the basis of cancer risk criteria developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, “contaminant levels found in some farmed salmon may be high enough to detract from the health benefits of eating fish.”
Saying their study was by far the broadest and the most representative on the issue released to date, they recommended that consumers reduce their intake of farmed salmon. – AFP