The Italian Health Ministry announced on September 4 that Italy has introduced measures to check for the presence of carcinogenic substances in low-grade olive oil, the Associated Press reports. Authorities reacted to a warning by the European Union that certain batches of the oil produced in Spain and Greece were found to contain traces of hydrocarbons. According to the Health Ministry statement, the presence of the substances, including benzopyrene, which may cause cancer at high doses, may be due to the use of "improper technologies" during production when crushed residues are dried to extract the oil. Health officials will carry out inspections at the companies involved in this contaminated oil and will also analyse samples of oil taken from other producers. As there is no EU allowed limit on contaminated substance in pomace olive oil, the Italian ministry said it was also considering setting its own limits.
