Dioxin in pork no health hazard

Dioxin in pork no health hazard? According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the current level of dioxin in pigmeat should not pose an immediate danger to consumers.

13/01/2011

Consumption of dioxin-contaminated pork has no immediate health effects, but the possible long-term effects - as with dioxin-loaded eggs - are extremely treacherous, according to the expert from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Helmut Schafft.

Dioxin exposure: Pork consumption no health risk
Since dioxin can hardly be broken down in the body, the toxin deposits in the fatty tissue and accumulates here in the course of life more and more, explained the BfR expert in conversation with the news agency „dpa“. Therefore, according to Helmut Schafft, the intake of dioxins is generally to be critically assessed, but the limit value exceedances in the previously controlled pork samples were only slight, so that according to BfR's assessment moderate consumption of dioxin-loaded pork poses no direct threat to health. „If someone occasionally eats a roast or sausage, he does not need to expect a danger“, explained the BfR expert Schafft.

Dioxin levels only slightly above the limit
Unlike in the current scandal over the dioxin contamination of eggs and chicken meat, pigmeat has only been found to have a slight increase in the burden of dioxin, emphasized Helmut Schafft. Although the examined samples are not particularly meaningful because of their small number, but in total only a dioxin value of 1.5 picograms has been detected in pork, which corresponds to a limit value exceeding 0.5 picograms, the expert said. All clear, the creator wanted in an interview with the „dpa“ but still not give, „because we take, whether we like it or not, always small amounts of dioxin - even without scandal“ and as it is not broken down by the body, any additional intake should be avoided, the specialist emphasized.

Hardly any opportunities to protect yourself from dioxin
According to the expert from BfR, consumers have little opportunity to protect themselves from dioxin-contaminated pork. In most cases, it is not clear to consumers how food was produced, which is why „Monitoring and control systems as well as entrepreneurial responsibility are so important“ are explained Helmut Schafft. One way to minimize the dioxin intake even when eating contaminated pork, according to the BfR experts, the fat crust easily cut off and not mitzuessen. Thus, the recorded dose of dioxin can already be significantly reduced, explained Helmut Schafft. The fact that the dioxin-contaminated fats, which are responsible for the burden of eggs and chicken meat, have also been processed into animal feed for pig fattening, illustrates once again that numerous weak points exist in food production. Checks, surveillance and entrepreneurial responsibility, as demanded by the BfR expert in the interests of the consumers, were evidently not a way of preventing the scandal. (Fp)

More about the dioxin scandal in eggs and pork:
Dioxin pork in the supermarket
Dioxin eggs by pesticides?
Detecting dioxin eggs in the supermarket
iPhone app detects dioxin eggs
Dioxin eggs also in Bavaria
Dioxin eggs: Procuratorate identified
Health risk from dioxin eggs
Dioxin burden apparently known for months

Picture: Gerd Altmann / dauni