Farmed Salmon Contaminated With PCBs, Other Nasties
Consumers, still struggling with the news that bovine spongiform encephalopathy-laden beef will make your brain melt and mercury-laden tuna will make your children stupid, were met today with more bad news: A new study in the journal Science claims that fish-farmed salmon contain enough contaminants (primarily PCBs and pesticides) to pose a serious health risk, more or less nullifying the health benefits of fish that other group of scientists told you about in that other study. Salmon lovers can take some consolation — researchers say that wild salmon contain just a 10th of the cancer-causing contamination found in farmed varieties, and that South American farm-raised salmon are safer than the European variety. Grist‘s prescription: Forage for roots and berries in uninhabited wilderness areas and catch your fish from streams high in the mountains. Bon appetit!
