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| |  FDA Stops Distribution Of Some Eggs And Catfish Because Of Contamination WASHINGTON -- July 9, 1997 -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is telling commercial catfish and egg producers not to ship human food products produced from or by animals who may have eaten animal feed contaminated with dioxin. These producers of human food will be able to resume shipping potentially affected products if they can demonstrate through testing that the human food contains only background levels of dioxin. The FDA’s action does not affect products already in commercial distribution or in consumers’ homes. This action is designed to stop the flow into commerce of catfish and eggs that might contain elevated (one part per trillion or higher) levels of dioxin. Federal health officials continue to emphasize that the levels of dioxin found so far in eggs and catfish present no immediate public health hazard. The FDA is taking this step as a prudent public health measure to reduce human exposure to an avoidable contaminant. The agency emphasizes that consumers should not hesitate to consume eggs and catfish they have at home or purchase on the retail market. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is taking a similar action with respect to poultry products, and the two agencies are working together to identify appropriate analytical methods and laboratories to test food samples for dioxin. Dioxins are found throughout the environment at low levels and are known to accumulate in the food chain. Continued high exposure to dioxin can cause increased risk of cancer and other health effects. Because dioxins accumulate, it is important to eliminate avoidable exposure to these substances. Recent analytical results obtained by the Federal government have shown that when food-producing animals are fed animal feed contaminated with dioxin, the result can be human food with levels of dioxin that are greater than background levels. Last week, the FDA announced that it had told manufacturers of some animal feeds known to be contaminated with dioxin to stop the further distribution and use of this feed. An investigation by the EPA, USDA, FDA and state officials disclosed that the source of dioxin in the animal feed was "ball clay," which is commonly added to soybean meal as a "flowing" or anti-caking agent. The ball clay was traced to a single clay mine in Mississippi, which at the request of the FDA has stopped shipping clay for feed use. The term "dioxin" refers to a class of environmentally persistent chemical compounds that are inadvertently created through a number of activities, including certain types of chemical manufacturing, incineration, chlorine bleaching of pulp and paper and other industrial processes.
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