News Coverage
Testing shows PCBs in farmed salmon
Published August 3, 2003
An environmental group says that farmed salmon contain high levels of chemicals that might cause cancer in people.
After testing farmed salmon bought in grocery stores along the West Coast, researchers with the Environmental Working Group found that seven of 10 fish tested had high enough levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, to raise health concerns based on federal standards.
Farmed salmon are fed ground fishmeal and fish oils to fatten them. This type of salmon makes up 22 percent of all retail seafood sales, according to the group. Wild salmon eat fish in the wild. The group says these fish have fewer pollutants as a result.
The group has called for Congress to pass more funding so the Food and Drug Administration can study farmed salmon for PCB contamination. The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that researches environmental issues.