News Coverage
Farmed Salmon Contains High PCB Levels
Published August 3, 2003
A new study from the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization, reports that samples of farmed salmon bought at markets on the East and West Coasts were found to be contaminated with PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls.
Salmon is now the third most popular fish in the US, after canned tuna and shrimp.
While the high levels are not in excess of Food and Drug administration (FDA) standards for commercially sold fish, they are above guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for recreationally caught fish. The salmon contained PCBs at an average level far higher than any other protein source, including all other seafood. PCBs, identified as a probable human carcinogen, were banned by the United States in 1976.
Bottom line: there are options for concerned consumers. First, look for wild salmon rather than farmed salmon. Second, check with your supermarket: Wild Oats will next week begin selling farmed organic salmon from the west coast of Ireland, which it says tests as low for PCBs as wild salmon. Whole Foods also is looking for a low-PCB alternative.