August 4, 2010

 

EFSA publishes data on PCB levels in food and animal feed

 

 

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has announced the publication of a report of levels of non dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in food and animal feed.

 

In 2002, the European Commission published a list of measures to be taken to reduce the presence of dioxins and PCB in food and animal feed and recommended that the member states keep an eye on the situation.

 

The report, which was put together by the "Data Collection and Exposure Unit" (Datex) of EFSA, is based on a total of 11,214 samples of foodstuffs and 1,349 samples of animal feed collected by 18 member states of the EU, Iceland and Norway between 1999 and 2008. It comes further to a report on dioxins and dioxin-like PCB published earlier this year.

 

In this latest report, the EFSA indicates that the highest levels of contamination were observed in several fish and fish-based products, followed by animal products such as raw milk, dairy products, eggs and egg-based products. Fruit and vegetables present the lowest levels. Likewise, the highest contamination levels were found in animal feed containing fish derivatives (like fish oils).

 

EFSA recommends carrying out continuous initial tests on enough samples of each group of good stuffs and animal feed in order to ensure in-depth assessment and surveillance of the presence of PCB in the food chain.

 

Polychloro biphenyls are a huge class of persistent organic chemicals that build up in the environment and in human beings. They are connected with a wide range of effects on human health. Although the manufacture and use of PCB has been interrupted in most countries since the 1980s, vast quantities of the chemical are still found in electrical equipment, plastics and materials used for construction.

 

PCBs can be released into the environment and people can be exposed to them mainly through food although they can also be exposed to PCBs through accidents at work. The International Cancer Research Centre classifies PCB as a potential carcinogen for human beings. EFSA's scientific group responsible for food chain contaminants carried out an assessment of the dangers related to the presence of non-dioxin PCBs in the food chain in 2005.