EU commission accepts PCB analysis

[MPU_Labor@t-online.de (mpu_labor)]

Sorry, the link I have posted in my last e-mail was wrong. Enclose zthe 
text of the EU commission

Lutz Mueller
MPU laboratory Berlin
www.dioxine.de


IP/99/399 

Brussels, 16 June 1999 

Preliminary results of EU-inspection to Belgium

The source of the dioxin contamination in Belgium is still not clear. Both 
hypothesis on how the contamination of the fat at the beginning of the feed chain 
may have occurred whether by a leak in the heating system or by a mistake during 
the collection of oils therefore have to be maintained. This is the main 
preliminary result of the mission of EU inspectors to Belgium last week. In the 
draft urgency report, that was sent to the Belgian authorities for comments 
before a final report is written, the inspectors also point to the fact that the 
protective measures taken by the Commission against the dioxin contamination are 
not fully applied. The inspectors also noted shortcomings in the control of the 
feed production chain and criticised the general co-ordination and the 
information flow of the Belgian authorities which lead to a great confusion among 
consumers. 

On the basis of these findings, the inspectors recommend the Belgian authorities 
to fully apply the Community legislation, to reflect on the organisation of their 
food security system, to continue their investigation into the source of 
contamination. Other Member States should ensure that no chemical contamination 
can occur during the collection of recycled oils. They should also evaluate the 
risks of using certain oils in the old installations for fat heating which exist 
in the sectors of the animal feed and food production. The inspectors recommend 
to improve the animal feed legislation in particular by imposing strict rules on 
the use of recycled oils and to examine the situation in other Member States that 
received potentially contaminated feed. 

Meanwhile a group of Commission and external scientific experts came to the 
conclusion that in this specific case of contamination, PCBs (polychlorinated 
biphenyls) can be used as an indicator for dioxins for chicken, eggs and derived 
products. If less than 200 ng/g fat is found, the PCB analysis is sufficient. If 
more than 200 ng/g fat is found, the food should also be checked for dioxins. 
Dioxin tests are costly and time-consuming. In the best case it takes 
approximately a week to obtain a result and there are not enough highly 
specialised laboratories for this work. Analysis for PCBs take less than two days 
and are less expensive. In the present situation where large amounts of food is 
blocked in order to be traced and tested, such a screening method could give a 
quick estimate of the contamination of food and allow to identify contaminated 
products speedily.