January 29, 2007

Cancer-causing agent found in Vietnam's poultry

Tests conducted on chicken and duck eggs in Vietnam show large quantities of a cancer-causing colorant, local news media reported on Sunday.

Scientists at the Department of Science and Technology in Ho Chi Minh found that nine out of 18 eggs collected from markets around the city contained red colorants, sudan I and sudan IV.

Five eggs had as much as 12,000 micrograms of sudan per kilogram, according to the Vietnam News Agency, the government's official wire service. Anything more than 500 micrograms is considered unsafe.

The director of Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health, Nguyen The Dung hectares verified the contamination and will conduct another tests but will momentarily hold the results from the public.

Sudan is a solvent used to colour shoe and floor polishes but hectares been known to find its way into the food supply. It is sometimes found in chili powder and sauces in India and China, as well as added to chicken feed to produce red-coloured yolks.

The colorants have been shown to cause cancer in animal studies. The European Union banned sudan 1, 2, 3, and 4 from all foods in 2003.

Officials in Vietnam are not sure where they eggs came from. They warned people to check the source of products they purchectarese.