S. Korea says it found carcinogens in Chinese fish

South Korea officials said on Wednesday they were stepping up inspections of imported Chinese freshwater fish after finding cancer-causing chemicals in some fish sent from the country.

The Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) said in a statement released on Tuesday it had found the carcinogens malachite green and leucomalachite in some imported Chinese carp available at a local wholesale market.

The KFDA said the fish were probably imported before August 23. The agency had placed a quarantine on Chinese and Vietnamese eels since July after finding malachite green in eel and eel-related products from those countries.

Malachite green, which has been found to be carcinogenic in rats, has been widely used by fish farmers to kill parasites. The chemical is banned in many countries, including China.

Earlier this month Hong Kong, which relies heavily on mainland China for food supplies, found malachite green in eels and other freshwater fish.

China told South Korean authorities that on August 12 it had voluntarily suspended its eel exports, KFDA officials said.

KFDA said it had destroyed or shipped back the contaminated eels and eel products it found and expanded its testing of other kinds of fish imported from China.

FAMILY FISH FARMS TO BLAME

A Chinese Agriculture Ministry official said he did not know about the recent problem with the carp in South Korea but acknowledged there had been problems concerning malachite green.

“We started an inspection campaign in early July after some localities reported such cases. Normally big fish farms are properly managed and do not have such problems,” Ma Weijun, an official at the Fishery Division of China’s Ministry of Agriculture, said by telephone.

“But as you know, there are millions of small family fish farms across China and there are some problems and difficulties in managing them. That’s why these cases have emerged,” Ma said.

Ma added that authorities in China’s southern province of Guangdong had been recalling tainted eels, a move that he said showed their “responsible attitude.”

Singapore and Japan, which import huge amounts of Chinese eels, have also stepped up checks for malachite green.

Tokyo has warned it will consider a ban if widespread contamination is found, while Singapore will require all eels and freshwater fish imported from China to undergo pre-export tests.

Some biologists say there is no need to panic over the detection of malachite green in fish because huge amounts of contaminated eel and fish would have to be eaten before one could develop a risk for cancer. But many also advise it is best to play it safe.

On a separate matter, since 2000, South Korea’s health authorities said they have sporadically found lead in some Chinese crabs imported into the country, saying the crustaceans were loaded with pellets to increase the weight of the shipment.

Print Version
Tell-a-Friend