Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 November 2006
152 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the European limit set legally for dioxins in respect of wet weight fish; the scale of dioxins found in wild Atlantic salmon to date; the scale of dioxins found on farmed salmon here; if he is satisfied that such findings constitute no threat to consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35947/06]
View answerCommission Regulation 2375/2001 sets a maximum limit for dioxins and furans of 4 pg WHO-PCDD/F-TEQ/g fresh weight in fish and fishery products and products thereof.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and the Marine Institute, in collaboration with Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), recently carried out a substantial survey of various persistent organic pollutants in Irish fish and also selected processed products. Sampling was carried out in the latter part of 2004 and a report is currently in press. As part of this study, 10 samples of wild Irish caught Atlantic salmon were collected and 15 different sites were sampled for farmed Atlantic salmon. The results showed that levels of dioxins and furans in wild Atlantic salmon were very low, with a range of 0.13-0.61 and median of 0.32 pg WHO-PCDD/F-TEQ/g fresh weight.
As with the wild salmon, the levels of dioxins in all samples of farmed salmon were well below the EC maximum limits with a range for dioxins and furans of 0.25-0.82, and median 0.49 pg WHO-PCDD/F-TEQ/g fresh weight. This study confirms a previous collaborative study between the FSAI and the Marine Institute (2001) where all dioxin levels in farmed and wild salmon were well within European legislative limits. Furthermore, in the recent survey significant reductions of dioxins and furans in Irish farmed salmon could be observed in comparison to levels measured in the 2001 FSAI/MI survey.
Although fish is a recognised dietary source of dioxins, the health benefits of eating fish are well established, and on the basis of these results the FSAI considers that there is no need to alter current advice on fish consumption. Current advice is that consumers should eat two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.
Explanatory notes
Dioxins (also referred to as dioxins and furans) — The term ‘dioxins' covers a group of 75 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and 135 polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) congeners, of which 17 are of toxicological concern. Dioxins have no known commercial applications but are formed during certain combustion processes and as by-products of certain industrial processes.
Toxic Equivalents (TEQs) — Dioxins and furans are generally not reported as direct concentrations but as toxic equivalents. The concentrations are expressed as a relative toxicity to the most toxic compound (TCDD) using toxic equivalence factors (TEFs). The TEFs used are those established by the World Health Organisation.
