PCB's in Farmed Salmon

Message to Consumers

More and more we are hearing of the benefits to our health from eating fish regularly. While this remains true, the legacy of industrial chemical use has left our oceans a sink for chemical disposal. Such chemicals include PCBs. PCBs are chemicals that can cause cancer, reproductive harm and damage to the nervous system. In 1977, PCBs were banned from use in the production of hundreds of industrial commercial applications, but because they also do not break down in the environment, we are still living with the legacy of past PCB pollution. Like mercury, PCBs accumulate in animal fats, including that of fish. Farm-raised salmon are fed a diet high in fish oils (which are made up of ground up smaller fish, mainly fat) leading to higher concentrations of PCBs in farmed salmon. Salmon farms can change their feeding practices, using other feed to lower PCB levels in their farmed fish.

The EPA and FDA both advise that young children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women who may become pregnant to limit fish consumption in general to no more than two meals per week, and choose fish that are lower in mercury (note that canned “light” tuna, made of smaller fish, has less mercury than “solid white” tuna, which comes from bigger fish).

What about salmon? Generally, farmed salmon (fish grown on farms, not caught in the wild) has higher levels of PCBs than wild salmon. Some farmed salmon is safer than most (salmon farmed from Chile tends to be safer than farmed salmon from Canada and Europe). Wild salmon is generally more expensive and less available than farmed salmon, so if you choose to buy farmed, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. First, if you don’t know the salmon’s origin, limit farmed salmon consumption to no more than one meal per month. Second, since PCBs accumulate in fat, trim the skin and fat off salmon before cooking and choose cooking methods that allow fat to drain away (for example, broiling or grilling).

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A Consumer’s Guide to Salmon

Salmon has many positive health benefits that make it an important food. However, because of environmental pollution, salmon often contain PCBs, a cancer-causing chemical. However, there are ways to avoid high PCB levels when you buy salmon. Generally wild salmon are safer than farmed salmon, and some farmed salmon are safer than others.

How much farmed salmon can I safely eat?

Based on PCB levels often found in farmed salmon, according to government recommendations you should limit consumption of farmed salmon to one meal per month. PCBs are officially listed by the state of California as a reproductive toxicant, so pregnant women may wish to avoid farmed salmon altogether.

Is there anything else I can do to avoid PCBs in salmon?

Since PCBs accumulate in fat, you can trim the skin and fat off salmon before cooking it, and choose cooking methods that allow fat to drain away (for example, broiling or grilling).

Clip this page and take it with you to the supermarket!

For more information, call CEH at (510) 594-9864.

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GROUPS PLAN CALIFORNIA LAWSUIT AGAINST
FARMED SALMON OVER PCB LEVELS

CONTACT: Michael Green or Charles Margulis, CEH: (510) 594-9864 Bill Walker or Jon Corsiglia, EWG: (510) 444-0973 or (202) 667-6982

OAKLAND, January 22, 2004­ The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and Environmental Working Group (EWG) have filed legal notice under California's main toxics law, Proposition 65, of plans to sue many manufacturers, distributors and retailers of farmed salmon over potentially dangerous levels of cancer-causing PCBs (polychlorninated biphenyls) in the fish.

As reported in today's San Francisco Chronicle, the groups are urging the salmon farming industry to stop feeding practices that result in high concentrations of toxic PCBs in their fish.

"The salmon farming industry must stop needlessly exposing consumers to a cancer risk in every bite," said Michael Green, executive director of the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health. "Some responsible salmon farmers have already taken steps to reduce PCB levels in their feed stocks. Now we're challenging the entire industry to make farmed salmon safer for everyone."

Numerous studies, including one published earlier this month in the peer-reviewed journal Science and an EWG study of supermarket fish in several U.S. cities released last summer, have found high concentrations of PCBs in farmed salmon, yet federal regulators have failed to take action.

"The salmon farming industry can - and must - produce a heart-healthy food, without the PCB risks that farmed salmon currently pose, said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at EWG in Washington, D.C. "The federal Food and Drug Administration has shown no intention of taking action on this issue, so we are pursuing our case under California's toxics right-to-know law."

The 50 defendants named in the filings include farmed salmon producers based in Canada and Europe, such as Marine Harvest, Panfish, Stolt Sea Farm, Heritage and Mainstream, as well as large U.S.-based retailers such as Safeway, Kroger, Albertson's and Costco.

PCBs in farmed salmon are high because fish farms typically raise salmon on feed high in fatty fish and fish oils. Since PCBs in the environment accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals, this diet results in fish with high concentrations of the carcinogenic chemical. But other companies, such as Black Pearl Salmon and Clare Island Sea Farm, regulate their feed and use other practices to minimize the PCB content in their products.

Proposition 65 is California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, which ensures the public's right-to-know about toxic chemicals in consumer products and in the environment. The law provides that a company must either reformulate its product or notify consumers if the product contains a hazardous level of chemical. After the 60-day notice period a formal lawsuit may be filed. Public interest groups like CEH and EWG use Prop. 65 to hold corporations accountable for their environmental and health impacts.

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News Stories

1.22.04: San Francisco Chronicle Article

KPFA's Flashpoints clip on farmed salmon (requires Real Media Player)