After the recent food scandal, a new report of sea food contamination is pouring in from China. The debate on the quality and credibility of Chinese food products is not over yet.
A recent study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry reveals the presence of high concentration of harmful chemicals in sea food. The analysis of a variety of food samples comprising of shrimps, oysters, mussels, squids, and crabs collected from 11 local food markets in China revealed high concentration levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) especially DDT and HCH. The presence of contaminants and pesticides like DDT which were banned some 25 years ago in China poses a huge health risk. The level of contamination was detected to be high enough to cause potential threats of cancer in humans.
Large scale farming of sea food is widespread in the coastal areas of southern China. The explosive growth of the Chinese economy in the recent years which led to the conversion of many of its agricultural areas to commercial sites has triggered the deterioration of environment in these coastal areas. China contributes about 10% of the world fish export market. And with the increasing demand of sea foods, further studies should be conducted to assess the health risks involved. The analysts said research and monitoring studies should be conducted to identify other possible sources of the contaminants and also focus on those species that have high potential of accumulating the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs).
