Rumours about the distribution of dioxins-contaminated food have left people asking questions about what is fit to eat, Reem Leila reports Fears about food available to consumers in Egypt being possibly contaminated by dioxins spread this week following reports that meat and fish imported from Uruguay tainted by the cancer- causing chemicals had been sold across the country. Egypt received more than 2,700,000 kilos of meat and fish from Uruguay some weeks ago that could have been contaminated by dioxins, according to a statement released last week by Soheir Gad of the Ministry of Health and Population's central laboratories, which declared the shipment unfit for human consumption. A detailed report on the incident has been sent to the People's Assembly (PA) Health Committee for investigation. Gad, who refused to give any further information on the grounds that the incident is under investigation, is expected to testify in front of the committee over the coming days. "Consumer health and safety have not been called into question at present," said MP Hamdi El-Sayed, head of the committee. El-Sayed who is also chairman of the Egyptian Doctors' Syndicate, said that more accurate testing methods needed to be used to check for the presence of dioxins in meat and fish, these being highly toxic, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). El-Sayed said that the ministry tests both local and imported meat and fish for "chlorinated substances" and approves their distribution to consumers only if the results are negative. However, a Health Committee member urged the ministry to test routinely for dioxins as well, and El-Sayed promised to investigate further, referring to "international regulations which the ministry always implements." Testing for dioxins could be costly, however, he said. According to the WHO, dioxins are mainly by- products of industrial processes, and high levels of them have in the past been found in certain soils and food products, especially dairy products, meat, fish and shellfish. Once ingested, dioxins tend to accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals. They are highly toxic and have been internationally classified as a class 1 carcinogen, the highest-ranking kind. While they are acutely toxic at very low doses in some animal species, humans are much less susceptible to the acute short-term effects of dioxins, the main effect observed from massive exposures to one form of dioxin during industrial accidents being skin damage. However, "dioxins have been shown to have chronic long-term effects following prolonged exposure, including cancer," El-Sayed said. "Dioxins may also have adverse affects on the immune system, hormones and reproduction." At present, the relevant national agencies are cooperating to ensure that consumer safety is not jeopardised during the current health scare. According to Mohamed Shafiq, who represents the General Organisation for Export and Import Control, no contaminated meat or fish shipments have been allowed into the country. "All the authorities concerned are acting swiftly to find out the truth regarding the recent shipment of meat and fish from Uruguay. It is vital that consumer confidence in the food chain is maintained," he said. For his part, Abdel-Rahman Shahin, official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, also denied that any shipments contaminated by dioxins had been received, adding that a special laboratory affiliated to the ministry carries out accurate and sophisticated tests to check for contaminated materials. Shahin said that analyses carried out by the Ministry of Trade and Industry's General Authority for Standardisation and Measurement had proved that the Uruguay shipment did not contain dioxins. Testing for dioxins is part of the test carried out to check for the presence of another group of toxic substances called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), he said, so when food is found negative for PCBs there is no danger of contamination by dioxins. El-Sayed said that even so consumers may be advised that the consumption of contaminated fish, meat and related products would not be expected to cause harmful effects, due to the relatively short period of exposure. "Adverse effects in humans usually occur only after prolonged exposure to high levels of dioxins over several decades," he said.
