Europe cuts food safety limits for chemicals

THE European Food Safety Authority has slashed its recommended limits in food of dioxins and related toxins.

The chemicals have been linked to problems with reproductive health, the immune system, hormone levels and tooth enamel.

Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs are mainly by-products of industrial activities and can accumulate in the food chain, notably in fatty fish, cheese, eggs and farmed meat.

New data and techniques for modeling how long dioxins stay in the body convinced EFSA that the maximum weekly intake should be cut to just 2 trillionths of a gram per kilogram of body weight — one seventh the previous limit.

The EFSA’s review of the risks of dioxins found the average exposure among all ages was now around five times the new recommended limit.

“These exceedances are a health concern,” said Ron Hoogenboom, who was on the review panel.

The European Commission said it would discuss steps to “ensure a high level of consumer protection.”