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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2004;291:929-930.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Farmed salmon have significantly higher concentrations of environmental contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) than their wild counterparts, according to an analysis of about 700 salmon from around the world.

The study's authors caution that eating farmed salmon "might pose risks that detract from the beneficial effects of fish consumption" (Science. 2004;303:226-229). But a debate has ensued over the take-home message from the study, with critics disputing that contaminant levels in salmon pose a health risk great enough for consumers to curb their appetite for the fish.

The source of the contamination is most likely from the farmed salmon's diet of fish oils and fish meal, obtained primarily from small pelagic fishes that can have high contaminant concentrations. The authors suggest that human consumption of farmed salmon may pose a potential health risk, although they are not advising consumers to completely eliminate the fish from . . . [Full Text of this Article]