BIOACCUMULATION AND BIOMAGNIFICATION - Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 155

PCBs, of which 10 had concentrations that exceeded the EU's
upper allowable limit. Atlantic halibut were analyzed for diox-
ins and dioxin-like PCBs, of which eight out of 14 belly sam-
ples showed very high levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCB,
exceeding the EU's upper allowable limit.
An industrial site in the Passaic River in Newark, New
Jersey was contaminated with dioxin from the production of
herbicides (Agent Orange) used in the Vietnam War. Dioxin
is elevated in fish and blue crabs. There are warning signs
posted in the area, yet many recreational anglers continue to
eat the crabs they catch. A risk assessment done by the New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection suggests that
people consuming whole crabs have a high risk of developing
cancer. The site is on the Superfund list for pending cleanup,
but the companies responsible for the cleanup suggested an
alternative remedy—that instead of thoroughly cleaning up
the whole river, they would start an aquaculture facility in
Newark to grow clean fish, and station people along the river
to trade their clean fish for the contaminated fish caught by
fishermen. This plan, which ignored the fact that most of the
catching and consumption was of crabs not fish, was criticized
and ridiculed by environmental groups and in editorials in
the local newspapers.
Can contaminants be found in fish oil supplements?
Since chlorinated organics concentrate in fish fat and oil, it is
possible to find contamination in fish oil supplements. Large
predatory fish like sharks, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna may
be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but since they are at the top of
the food chain, they also have high levels of persistent toxic
substances. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) sur-
veyed 75 companies that manufacture fish oil supplements
and found that most supplements are adequately purified and
safe. Consumers who take fish oil supplements should pur-
chase them from companies that verified they have met strict