Warning about cod from the Baltic Sea

Cod liver from the Baltic Sea contains too many environmental toxins: Consumption could damage health

02/07/2013

The Ministry of Agriculture Mecklenburg-Vorpommern warns nationwide before the consumption of cod liver from the Baltic Sea. The liver of the fish contained en masse environmental toxins, as the ministry announced in a statement. The environmental impact is so much increased that they are difficult to absorb by the human body. „The body can hardly handle the environmental toxins anymore“, it says in a statement released today. The cod meat itself is still edible, only the liver should not be eaten.

Furans, PCBs and dioxins in cod liver
200 grams of cod liver are enough to sustain the body with toxins. The Ministry of Agriculture in Schwerin warns consumers therefore urgently against the consumption of fish delights popular delicacy. During an in-house study, 21 liver samples were taken from Baltic cod and tested for toxins in the laboratory. In all samples it was found that the cod from the Baltic Sea was heavily contaminated with dioxins, furans and PCB organic compounds. „The defined maximum levels were always exceeded in all cod liver samples“.

The Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) confirmed that the fish processing industry, trade and associations had already been informed. The sale had been stopped by the authorities, so that no cod liver from the Baltic Sea more enters the supermarkets. Backhaus also pointed out that the cod from the Atlantic continues to be considered harmless. Here the values ​​were not exceeded, so the minister.

The problem has been known for some time. Five years ago, the fish processing company had „Rügenfisch“ announced in Sassnitz, no liver of the cod from the Baltic more to process. "At the time, we did not want to run the risk of potentially exceeding environmental toxins like dioxin," said Klaus Peper, CEO of the company.

The results, which were determined in the samples of the laboratory of the State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries, exhaust, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, the „Tolerance with a single consumption of 200 grams of Baltic Sea Gurnard for about 48 weeks“. With this amount is tolerance „fully exhausted“.

The fish meat from the cod is said to be „be harmless“. The cod itself is a so-called „lean fish“, why poisons can not overstep. Also, the analyzes in the laboratory had found only small amounts of pesticides.

Environmental toxins that can cause cancer
PCBs and dioxins are considered highly toxic and carcinogenic. The pollutants are long-lasting compounds that accumulate in the fat of the body. Because the toxic substances are degraded only slowly, each further intake of the substances increases the risk of cancer. Long-term effects can also be a significant weakening of the immune system and disorders of the nervous system. Basically, food experts therefore want these substances from the food chain „as far as it goes“ stay out.

In everyday life consumers consume dioxins and furans superficially by eating meat, eggs or fish. The toxins then accumulate in body fat and especially in the liver. Recent studies have also shown that the pesticides in pregnant women and mothers can pose a health risk to the unborn or breastfeeding child. The poisons deposit in the cake and in the breast milk and are thus transferred to the child.

The toxins dioxin and PCB are caused by combustion processes in the industry. Often it is contaminated sites from days gone by that have contaminated the soil and water. For example, by eating hay and animal feed, cows or hens pick up the toxins and pass them on to humans in the form of eggs or meat. That's why it always comes back „Dioxin scandals“. (Sb)

Image: Gerd Altmann, Pixelio.de