More Dioxins Found in Taiwan Free-Range Eggs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
A study has found that eggs from free-range chickens in industrialized Taiwan contain almost six times more cancer-causing dioxins than eggs from caged chickens.
"Because free-range hens spend most of their lives in an outside environment, they have a better chance of being exposed to contaminants from the environment," wrote researchers led by Pao-Chi Liao of the Environmental and Occupational Health department at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan.
Liao and colleagues examined eggs from free-range and caged hens and hunted specifically for the dioxins — polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) — which they said were especially prevalent in Taiwan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"Taiwan ... is a heavily populated, industrialized island and many municipal incinerators release PCDDs and PCDFs," they wrote.
Dioxin levels in the free-range eggs were on average 5.7 times higher than those in caged hens, they found.
Seventeen percent of free-range eggs were also found to exceed dioxin limits set by the European Community.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Dioxins build up in fatty tissues over time and have been linked to cancer. Experts say its other, non-cancerous effects on the immune system and reproductive and sexual development pose even greater threats to human health.
Their findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.