WASH (2 Dec 2001) -- Kistin Farden of Norway's Food Control Authority, has warned Japan that Norway's stockpile of whale blubber could contain high levels of PCB contamination. PCBs are highly toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other damage in animals and humans. Farden said the blubber probably contains high concentrations of PCBs because contaminants of that sort bind with fat. Studies by Norwegian scientists have found the average concentration of PCBs in Atlantic minke whales to be 3.8 parts per million (ppm). Japan regulations allow for a maximum of 0.5 ppm. | | The Norwegian Government recently decided to break its whale meat and blubber export ban, a decision welcomed by government officials in Japan where most of the exports are expected to go. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
