Matís' reports in recent years on the results of measurements of the amount of toxic pollutants in Icelandic seafood products show that it is not to be mistaken that our Icelandic seafood is far below the limit values that apply to these substances.
In recent days, there has been a discussion about toxins in seafood, especially in farmed salmon, and there was a news item on the RÚV news service about this substance recently.
The results of research show that the edible part of fish caught in Icelandic waters contains very small amounts of organic pollutants such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and pesticides (insecticides and plant toxins), compared to the limits approved by European countries. Oil and flour made from blue whiting, however, must be close to or exceed the permissible limits for certain substances.
Samples of Icelandic farmed fish have also been taken for analysis of pollutants (see report here). Matís has also been monitoring the content of pollutants in Icelandic seafood for years and publishes an annual report on the results of that monitoring on its website (latest here). In 2010, a booklet was also published in English called "Valuable facts about Icelandic seafood". It contains a summary of monitoring data from 2003-2008 on the main pollutants monitored and the results for 10 species of seafood compared to the maximum values of the European Union (EU) for these substances (this brochure can be accessed by sending an e-mail to matis@matis.is).
It is also worth mentioning that in Norway these issues are closely monitored in seafood and aquaculture products, cf. the following URL: www.nifes.no/
All the above sources and information indicate that the dioxin and PCBs' content is far below the limits set for healthy transatlantic seafood or aquaculture in the Nordic countries.
A graphical presentation of the results of the monitoring project can be accessed on Matís' website via the link "Icelandic seafood - clean and unpolluted“.
Information on reports on this topic can be found at www.matis.is/utgafa/matis/skyrslur/, the latest here.
For further information Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir and Jón Árnason