§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his reply of 20 December, what level of concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in cod and whiting caught in Swansea bay is regarded as(a) low, (b) moderate and (c) high; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Donald ThompsonGuidelines for concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish and shellfish have been set for the joint monitoring programme of the Oslo and Paris commissions. Details of the "lower", "medium" and "upper" levels are given in my Department's aquatic environment monitoring report No. 16, page 38, available in the Library of the House.
The guidelines refer to the ranges of contaminant concentrations which would be expected to occur in European waters; they do not necessarily imply any risk to human health or to the environment.
The most recent tests for levels of PCBs in cod from Swansea bay were on cod liver, and give results, so far unpublished, of 1.9mg/kg wet weight. The guideline "lower" level for cod liver is up to 2.0mg/kg wet weight.