Several seafood wholesale markets in?Shanghai have stopped
selling products from Hubei
and Henan
provinces for fear that the products might be contaminated with
malachite green, an anti-parasitic chemical that could cause
cancer.
Local food and drug administration officials began conducting
spot checks on seafood in local wholesale markets, supermarkets and
restaurants Thursday. The products in question include soft-shelled
turtles, salmon and shellfish. Results will be released in two
weeks, officials said.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) issued a warning last week
about the possible contamination.
The MOA said the dye was used mainly in Hubei and Henan and most
of their products are sold in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.
The Tongchuan Road Aquatic Products Wholesale Market, the city's
largest seafood market, stopped selling artificially raised
sturgeon from Hubei yesterday.
"Because we aren't sure whether the fish is polluted or not, we
had to make the decision," said Dai Honggen, the market's director
of quality inspection.
The Huxi Aquatic Products Wholesale Market also stopped selling
products from Hubei and Henan yesterday.
"If malachite green is found in any of the products, the food
and drug administration will track the source and impose punishment
on those responsible," said municipal government spokesperson Jiao
Yang.
Gao Xuexiang, an official with the Shanghai Fishery Office,
said: "Malachite green is quite toxic. It can cause cancer,
malformations and mutations."
Gao?added, "The chemical was banned in 2002. But some fish
farmers still secretly use it to treat parasitic and fungal
infections in fish because it is cheap."
(Shanghai Daily July 15, 2005)