Fresh levels for lead and cadmium in fish and some other marine animals have been agreed by the global expert body, the Codex Alimentarius, which sets guidelines for food safety.
After a lot of discussion over the last few years, the level for lead in fish, reports Peter O’Neill, was set at a ‘draft’ (meaning it can be revised) maximum level of 0.3 milligrams per kilo. The EU, Egypt and Norway tabled reservations about this level.
Experts from 110 countries attended the July, 28th Session in Geneva of the Codex which operates under a joint WHO/FAO umbrella.
Some countries were pushing for low cadmium levels of 1.0mg/kg in marine bivalve molluscs (excluding oysters and scallops) and 1.0mg/kg in cephalopods (without viscera). Some countries such as Japan wanted higher levels on cadmium, arguing it often occurred naturally in some areas more than others, and that it occurred naturally in the target marine products. The compromise was to set the draft maximum level at 2.0mg/kg. The EU and US delegations have tabled reservations on the higher level.
The guidelines are not obligatory but apply to international trade in fish products so exporters exceeding the levels could find their product banned by a recipient country.
Significant doses of cadmium can cause liver, bone and testicular damage. Significant doses of lead can affect the kidneys, nervous system and the blood.
Importantly, there is no need for a scare. Official documentation made it clear that the lead in fish issue was a minor risk area because product affected was such a small part of international fish trade. Some delegations suggested the small number of species of lead-prone fish could be identified and catch avoided. The documentation said the lead risk was not to be compared with mercury in fish. Mercury risk is still under debate overall, since getting good data is very difficult and its presence can vary between fish types. Risk from cadmium is also small and its presence relatively rare, they said. Good data on dioxins is also still proving a problem and the scientists agree to expand research in this area.
The spread of bugs resistant to various medicines used on fish (often the same as for humans) has become a much more worrying issue. The meeting also set up a new global Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance which will be hosted by Korea. But it will not start work until 2007.
