Dioxin contaminated fish in Lower Saxony

Ministry of Agriculture warns against dioxin contaminated fish from Lower Saxony

02/05/2011

The Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture in Hanover has warned against the consumption of river fish from Lower Saxony. Analyzes sometimes detected very high concentrations of the harmful pollutant dioxin. Some fish species were so heavily polluted that the ministry is strongly against the use of eels and bream.

Contaminated river fish in Lower Saxony
In addition to the dioxin finds in eggs and pork, river fish in Lower Saxony are now heavily contaminated with dioxin. The Ministry of Agriculture warns in a statement urgently against the consumption of fish from most of Lower Saxony rivers. Samples had identified particularly high environmental impact in eels and bream. In one study, the majority of fish analyzed was overly contaminated with dioxin. Therefore, consumers should refrain from eating fish.

Breams were particularly burdened in the rivers Aller and Weser. Eels were also heavily contaminated with catches from the Elbe, Weser and Ems. In the case of eels from the Elbe, experts found not only the pollutant dioxin, but also the toxic compound PCB. In addition, high levels of contamination of chlorine pesticides were found. In about half of all eels studied in the Elbe, the limits for hexachlorobenzene, HCH, DDT and metabolites were significantly exceeded.

Heavily contaminated eels and bream
Almost all river sections of the examined eels clearly exceeded the maximum permissible pollutants. As eels have a particularly high fat content, environmental toxins in the fish are particularly strong. For this reason, the fish should not be eaten. Bream from the rivers Aller and Weser should also not be consumed. Although bream from the Ems and Leda can still be consumed, the amount consumed should not exceed 200 grams twice a month. In the opinion of the consumer protection authorities, environmental pollution was most likely produced by so-called legacy industrial and agricultural pollution.

Dioxin is an acute threat to health
The long-lived dioxin compounds accumulate over time in fat, liver and skin tissue of the human body and are degraded only very slowly. Excessive dioxin exposure can cause a variety of health problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified a large number of pollutant compounds as carcinogenic or triggering above a certain amount. In addition, there is a risk that the pesticides cause disorders of the immune system, the nervous system and the hormone balance and immune-toxic effects of changes in the thyroid and skin damage. Especially for children and pregnant women dioxin is particularly dangerous, since even smaller amounts are sufficient to cause damage to the organism.

No possibilities for detoxification
If there is an acute dioxin intoxication, there is no therapy option for rapid detoxification, since the substance is firmly embedded in the tissue of the body. Even a blood wash can only achieve a minimal reduction. If it is suspected that a food is contaminated with dioxin, the food should be eaten under any circumstances. (Sb)

Read about food and dioxin:
Nerve poison found in Baltic fish
Again dioxin contaminated feed appeared
Blood test for dioxin does not make sense
Dioxin scandal: majority no longer has confidence
Antibiotic detected in feed
Fat fish prevents diabetes and heart disease

Picture: Gerd Altmann / myself