UK survey finds pollutant levels in most fish continue to fall

Amidst all the safety concerns relating to beef and poultry, the survey findings come as a relief to at least one segment of the food processing industry, which has been under pressure to reduce contaminants in its products. The findings could provide a marketing boost for fish processors.

The findings reinforce the advice that most people should eat more fish, the Food Standards Agency stated in its report on the studies. Long-standing advice continues to be that people should eat at least two portions of fish a week, and that one should be an oily fish, the FSA stated.

On average, people in the UK eat only a third of a portion of oily fish a week. In any week, seven out of ten don't eat any oily fish at all.

"The results of these surveys are good news. We don't eat enough fish in Britain and we should be eating more,"​ stated Andrew Wadge, the FSA's director of food safety. "Eating fish is a good way to get protein and some essential vitamins and minerals, and oily fish, for example salmon, sardines and mackerel, also give added protection against heart disease."​

Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs) are chemicals that get into food from the environment. They have no immediate effect on health but can cause problems if they are absorbed into the human bodies at high levels for long periods.

The survey results show that some fish and crab may also have similar levels of dioxins and PCBs to oily fish. These fish are: sea bream, turbot, halibut, dog fish or huss, and sea bass.

Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should consider choosing a wider variety as part of a balanced diet - eating less crab and these five species, and more that have lower levels of pollutants, such as red snapper, haddock, coley or hake, the FSA stated.

The study looked into the dietary intake of brominated chemicals from fish and fisheries products. Composite samples of 48 species of farmed and wild fish and shellfish consumed in the UK, together with ten samples of fish oil dietary supplements, were analysed for brominated dioxins, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs).

Some of the flame retardants were detected in all of the fish species analysed, with the highest concentrations generally being found in dogfish, eels and sprats. Other compounds were detected less frequently or not at all. The results are considered to be of low concern for health and do not affect the FSA's current advice on fish consumption.