 |
|
|
Salmon Producers Go on the Offensive |
|
By Gustavo González*
Chilean
salmon farmers deny their fish are carcinogenic, contrary to what
was reported in Science magazine. Ecologists and consumers are demanding
more rigorous standards to certify salmon that is safe to eat.
SANTIAGO - As if it were a matter of war, or
a championship soccer game, Chilean salmon farmers believe the best
defense is offense, and are on the warpath to disqualify a scientific
report that reveals the presence of cancer-causing compounds in
the fish they sell.
The study by U.S. and Canadian scientists, coordinated by the universities
of Indiana and New York and published in Science magazine, found
high levels of toxins in farm-raised salmon, including Chilean salmon,
compared to levels in wild fish.
The study is "dangerous, alarmist and a shot in the dark," says
Leonel Sierralta, environmental advisor to SalmonChile, the name
used by the Association of Salmon and Trout Producers in this South
American country.
"One cannot say that eating 200 grams of salmon is going to cause
cancer, because it is a disease that is produced by recurring exposure
to a carcinogenic substance," Sierralta told the Chilean press.
Meanwhile, environmentalists and consumers have issued a call for
more rigorous standards in certifying salmon and have demanded that
the companies involved comply with their social responsibilities.
"We are demanding the adoption of rigorous standards for (health
and environmental) certification of salmon. That is what needs to
be done, instead of trying to invalidate a serious report," commented
environmental economist Cristián Gutiérrez, of the international
watchdog Oceana.
The study published in Science analyzed and compared more than two
metric tons of cuts of salmon that had been raised on farms and
that had been caught in the wild.
More than 700 filets tested by experts in toxicology, biology and
statistics came from eight of the world's major producers, whether
of Atlantic salmon (Scotland, Britain, and the east coast of the
United States and Canada) or Pacific salmon (North America and Chile).
The study analyzed the presence of 14 toxins considered carcinogenic
by the U.S. health authorities, and concluded that farm-raised Atlantic
salmon, particularly from Scotland, contains high levels of 13 toxins,
much higher than the levels of Pacific salmon.
But the scientists warn that even the farm-raised salmon from Chile
or the northwestern U.S. state of Washington, which are among the
least contaminated, contain more PCB, dioxins and dieldrin than
wild salmon.
These substances are among the 12 persistent organic pollutants,
POPs, also known as the "dirty dozen". They are pesticides or products
or byproducts of industrial activities and are characterized by
their long life, the facility of their dispersal, and their accumulation
in the food chain.
Exposure to POPs is a risk factor for cancer and genetic mutations,
among other health impacts. The Stockholm Convention, adopted in
2001, regulates the control and elimination of these substances.
PCB is a highly carcinogenic compound and is found in farm-raised
salmon because they are fed fishmeal and oil, say the experts.
In its conclusions, the study says that eating more than 200 grams
of cultivated salmon a month, particularly Atlantic salmon, exposes
one to cancer risks. In comparison, one could eat eight times more
wild salmon without threatening one's health.
Chilean salmon entrepreneurs say the scientists used environmental
criteria in the study, instead of a food-based perspective, which
the fish farmers believe more appropriate.
"SalmonChile has dedicated itself to criticizing the report more
than taking into consideration its conclusions. The research is
very rigorous. Science is a highly respected journal and does not
publish just anything," responded biologist Alejandro Pérez, of
Oceana.
"The Science study brings to the forefront the issue of the social
responsibility of businesses," commented Jorge Vargas, director
of the Latin American office of Consumers International, based in
Santiago.
"A company, in addition to having duties and obligations to its
shareholders, is also responsible for the social and environmental
impacts of its activities," the representative of the world's leading
consumer watchdog told Tierramérica.
"The fact that Salmon of America, an entity comprising producers
from Canada, Chile and the United States, has admitted the existence
of contaminants resulting from fish meal should mean the immediate
adoption of urgent measures to protect health and the right of consumers
to have safe, nontoxic food," Vargas said.
"The obsession with intensive production and with conquering markets
and increasing profits implies hurried processes that complicate
or weaken the controls necessary for the entire food chain and which
impede adequate evaluation of the products offered the consumer,"
he added.
Oceana's Gutiérrez says it is likely that the report's findings
will affect salmon exports, as consumers in Europe, Japan and the
United States "are relatively responsible. They aren't naive. They
inform themselves about the characteristics and origin of the foods
they eat."
* Gustavo González is an IPS correspondent
|
