Many people take fish oil supplements to supplement themselves with healthy omega-3 fatty acids. However, some of these supplements may contain PCB that people are not aware of. PCB are polychlorinated biphenyls which are industrial compounds that were banned in 1979 due to their toxicity that may cause cancer and birth defects. PCB are also known as endocrine disruptors and pregnant women have to be especially careful.
Lawsuit Filed Against Fish Oil Supplement Makers
MercuryNews.com reported in March 2010 that a lawsuit had been filed by environmental advocates against some fish oil supplement makers aimed at getting them to put warning labels to warn consumers of these possible hazard. See copy of lawsuit.
The basis for the lawsuit is California's Prop 65 which "prohibits businesses from knowingly exposing individuals to listed substances without providing a clear and reasonable warning."
ABCNews.com also reported about the lawsuit including a Good Morning America video segment showing a doctor's comment about fish oil supplements (see video).
Find Fish Oil Supplements with the Lowest Levels of PCB
California law says that people should not be exposed to more than 90 nanograms of PCB per day. Some tests indicates some supplements exceeded this amount. Test results of 10 fish oil supplements shows that the sample that contains the highest levels of PCB (850 ng/day) can have almost 70 times as much PCB as the sample that contains the least amount of PCB (12 ng/day). Each of the ten samples tested has detectable amounts of PCB.
Attorney David Roe who filed the suite says "You can protect yourselves by shopping for the ones with the lowest levels."
Press Release by the plaintiffs say that "Huge range between best and worst brands tested so far, with more results to come; consumers can minimize risk by knowing the facts."
The results as mentioned on FishOilSafety.com says...
"In our initial tests of 10 products, those with the lowest overall levels of PCBs at the recommended daily dose were, in order, Solgar Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, TwinLab Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, GNC Liquid Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, and TwinLab Emulsified Norwegian Cod Liver Oil. After weighting for how toxic some of the contaminants are (the ones for which weighting factors exist), the products that ranked the lowest for toxicity were, in order, TwinLab Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, TwinLab Emulsified Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, Solar 100% Pure Norwegian Shark Liver Oil Complex, and Nature Made Odorless Fish Oil."
Counter Argument Against the Suit
California's Prop 65 is a more conservative standard that is not in place across the whole country. In fact, the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) allows for a tolerance of 2 parts per million of PCB in fish which is higher than California's 90 nano-gram per day limit. Fish in general contains more PCB than fish oil supplements due to the fact that supplements go through a refining process.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition concludes by saying ...
"The bottom line is that consumers, whether they live in California or elsewhere, should continue to feel confident in the safety and efficacy of their fish oil supplements. This lawsuit does nothing to change the strong science supporting the many health benefits of fish oil, which range from cardiovascular health to cognitive development of infants and young children, and the very low thresholds of PCBs which apparently trigger a labeling requirement in California cannot be extrapolated to demonstrate any actual risks at those levels. The health benefits for fish oil far outweigh any suggested, and unsupported, risks."
How Does PCB Get Into Fish Oil Supplements
PCBs are very stable compounds and do not degrade easily. That is why they are ubiquitous in the environment. All fish (whether they are farmed or fresh-water) has some trace of PCB in them. Since fish oil are made from fish, they too contain PCB.
Tests of some plant-based forms of Omega 3 supplements (such as those made from flax seeds) do not contain PCB.
Benefits Outweigh the Risk
The reports of PCB should not discourage people from eating fish or taking fish oil supplements. They are rare and are in small amounts. The benefits of omega-3 outweighs any risk.
Reader's Digest Your Health, What Works, What Doesn't says ...
"Harvard researchers combed through stacks of studies, government reports, and other scientific literature on fish and human health, then published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The bottom line: Eating fish far outweighs any accompanying risks."
It argues that eating fish outweighs any risk. Fish oil supplements are even more pure than fish due to ...
•the fact that the contaminates are in the muscles of the fish rather than in its oils.
•smaller fish species (which contains less mercury) are typically used to make the oil supplements.
•And the refining process of making the supplements removes more toxins.
In fact, it says ...
"Fish-oil supplements are the next best thing to eating fin food. ... Fish-oil supplements seem to be more pure. Consumerlab.com researchers tested the purity of 43 different brands of fish-oil supplements and failed to find a single contaminated capsule."
