Published: Tuesday September 29, 2009 MYT 2:31:00 PM
Dried cuttlefish contaminated with cadmium: CAP
By MANJIT KAUR
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said its tests have found dried cuttlefish contaminated with cadmium.
CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris said random tests conducted on samples of cuttlefish found that the amount of cadmium exceeded the safety level.
He said the amount of cadmium detected in the samples tested ranged from 0.33 to 4.33 parts per million (PPM); according to the Food Regulations Act 1985 the amount of cadmium present in food should not exceed 1.00 ppm.
“This is not the first time high levels of cadmium have been detected in dried seafood. In 2006 a sample of dried cuttlefish was found to have exceeded the standard while in 2004 tests conducted on eight samples of various types of dried seafood found five samples to contain cadmium above the safety standard.
“Cadmium is used in galvanising and electroplating in batteries, in electrical conductors, in the manufacture of alloys, pigments and plastics, and in the stabilisation of phosphate fertilisers.
“It is also a prevalent environmental contaminant due to its release from metal smelters,” he told a press conference at the CAP office here Tuesday.
Mohamed Idris added that it had been suggested that exposure to cadmium and other such “metalloestrogens” could result in an increased rate of breast and prostate cancer.
He said in general, exposure to cadmium occurs primarily through food, cigarette smoking and sometimes drinking water.
Occurrence in food comes through atmospheric deposition of the airborne cadmium, mining activities and the application of cadmium-containing fertilisers and sewage sludge on farm land.
He said this has an adverse effect on specific organs in the human body, and its absorption is intensified by dietary deficiencies of calcium and iron.
“Most of the body’s burden of cadmium is retained in the liver and kidneys, and in Japan kidney failure has been observed in individuals whose food and water are affected by high levels of cadmium,” he added.
Mohamed Idris noted that kidney failure is on the rise in Malaysia, adding that presently there were 13,000 kidney patients undergoing dialysis and every year 2,500 people are at end-stage renal failure.
“Although this does not implicate cadmium as one of its causes, consumers should be aware that the intake of cadmium could result in kidney failure.
“Although the target organ of cadmium is the kidney, other adverse effects may occur in the bones and stomach.
“We call upon the Health Ministry to test all types of dried cuttlefish for cadmium content, and at the same time strictly enforce regulations so that food that has contravened the Act would not be sold in the market,” he added.
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