Environ. Sci. Technol. 2007, 41, 4180
2006, Volume 40, Pages 5347-5354 Susan D. Shaw,* Diane Brenner, Michelle L. Berger, David O. Carpenter, Chia-Swee Hong, and Karunthachalam Kannan: PCBs, PCDD/Fs, and Organochlorine Pesticides in Farmed Atlantic Salmon from Maine, Eastern Canada, and Norway, and Wild Salmon from Alaska New information has recently come to light that has a bearing on findings reported in our recent paper “PCBs, PCDD/Fs, and Organochlorine Pesticides in Farmed Atlantic Salmon from Maine, Eastern Canada, and Norway, and Wild Salmon from Alaska” (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40, 5347-5354). This paper has received attention in Norway because of the finding of relatively high levels of PCBs and WHO PCB TEQs in the Norwegian organically farmed salmon samples. The organically farmed Norwegian salmon samples analyzed in the study were purchased in May 2004 from a retail distributor in the Northeastern United States with the assistance of an employee of the Norwegian producer. At the time of the purchase, the retailer provided information documenting the protocol under which the salmon was raised. These documents stated that the salmon was free of antibiotics and artificial color, raised on 100% organic feed certified by the Soil Association of the UK, virtually free of dioxins, and containing PCB trace elements dramatically lower than ordinary farm raised salmon. The fat content of the feed was reported as less than 28%. In January 2007, following further inquiries about the origin of the Norwegian samples, we re-contacted the individual who had assisted with the purchase and who has subsequently left the company. He provided us with the following new information. It appears that the Norwegian producer began sending the organically farmed salmon to a processor that, facing financial difficulties, sold the company. The new owners of the processing facility began buying conventionally raised salmon from various Norwegian farms and selling it at higher prices under the Norwegian organic label. Some of this non-organic salmon was being exported to the United States and marketed as organic at the time we purchased our Norwegian samples. In conclusion, it appears that the Norwegian fish samples in our study with higher levels of PCBs and PCB-WHO TEQs may not have been organically farmed and were likely conventionally raised Norwegian salmon. This discovery reinforces the point made in our paper that buying salmon labeled as organically farmed does not necessarily protect the consumer from toxic exposure. Until the aquaculture industry can be held accountable for what they are putting on the market, consumers have no reliable way to know what kind of salmon they are actually buying. This is not the first time the public has been confronted with instances of gross mislabeling and misinformation by the industry. In April 2005, a New York Times article “Stores Say Wild Salmon, but Tests Say Farm Bred”, reported that their investigation of salmon sold in New York City stores revealed that six out of eight salmon marketed to consumers at higher prices as “wild” salmon were in fact farm-raised. This kind of misinformation is unacceptable, and reaffirms the urgent need for responsible labeling as well as increased monitoring and public disclosure of toxic contaminant levels in all farm-raised salmon, including organically farmed salmon. ES070460T 4180
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / VOL. 41, NO. 11, 2007
10.1021/es070460t CCC: $37.00
2007 American Chemical Society Published on Web 04/27/2007
