Wild Chinook Salmon Test Equal Or Higher Than Farmed For PBDE Content

The king of fish -- wild chinook salmon -- is turning up tainted with industrial-strength fire-retardant chemicals in the Pacific Northwest, showing just how far the compounds have spread in the environment. Wild chinook tested in Oregon and British Columbia had levels of the chemicals -- polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs -- that were as high or higher than farmed salmon, according to a global study released today.

The research was the latest blow to the good-for-your-body reputation of salmon, which is packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. A prior study by the same researchers recently found troubling levels of PCBs, a known carcinogen, in farm-raised salmon.

Although PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, have been banned for decades, their chemical cousin, PBDEs, are still in production around the world. Bans in Europe, California and Maine will kick in over the next few years, and U.S. manufacturers voluntarily are stopping production of some forms of the fire retardant.

EDIT

The toxicity of PBDEs isn't fully understood, but the fish-contamination study concerns health officials and environmentalists.
"The bottom line here is pointing out ... we have a problem with PBDEs," said Rob Duff, director of the Washington Health Department's Office of Environmental Health Assessment. "They're rising in the environment. The levels are getting up there." PBDEs can harm neurological development and function."

EDIT

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/185566_salmon10.html