Guest guest Posted August 8, 2002 Report Share Posted August 8, 2002 http://story.news./news?tmpl=story & u=/ap/20020808/ap_on_re_as/japan_wha\ le_meat_5 Japan Finds Pollution in Whale Fat Thu Aug 8,10:02 AM ET TOKYO (AP) - Authorities found dangerous levels of a suspected cancer-causing agent in the blubber of minke whales caught by the Japanese fleet last year, and processors were told to boil the fat before selling it. Japan is one of the world's largest consumers of whale meat, a delicacy served in the nation's gourmet restaurants. Despite a global ban on commercial whaling, the government kills hundreds of whales each year as part of its research program. Fisheries Agency official Joji Morishita said Thursday that four out of five random blubber samples from the 100 minke whales Japan hunted in the Pacific last year, contained up to 0.72 parts per million of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls — a potentially cancer-causing toxin. The government-set safe level is 0.5 parts per million. Fisheries officials said the PCB levels in blubber is not a problem because contamination can be reduced during meat processing. Whale blubber is seldom eaten raw here and is most commonly consumed smoked, boiled or preserved in salt. " The contamination adds to the list of reasons why we shouldn't eat whale meat, " said Nanami Kurahashi, an anti-whaling activist. " We want to know more details about the extent of the contamination. " Japan has been pushing to get International Whaling Commission ( news - web sites)'s 1986 global ban on commercial whaling lifted. The IWC allows Japan a limited catch for scientific research. Opponents of the program, including the United States, Britain and Australia, say the research hunt is a front for commercial whaling. Much of the meat ends up in restaurants. HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs http://www.hotjobs.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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