How to avoid toxins, PCBs and heavy metals

Due to the presence of heavy metals and other toxins in fish, many countries now issue guidelines on how often fish should be eaten. How can you avoid heavy metals and toxins when taking fish oil supplements?

What are toxins, PCBs and heavy metals?

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), heavy metals, dioxins and other toxins are the result of industrial pollution. These toxins settle in the sediment at the bottom of our rivers and seas. From here, they find their way into the food chain. They build up in the fat reserves of large fish and pose serious health risks to people who consume fish frequently.

How to avoid them?

For a fish to build-up large amounts of PCBs, dioxins and heavy metals in its fat reserves, two things need to happen: The fish needs to live for a number of years and it needs to consume food deep in the ocean, where the toxins and heavy metals tend to settle.

 

Therefore, you should avoid large fish, such as tuna, and instead consume short-lived fish that feed high in the water, such as pink salmon.

 

Unlike other salmon and most large fish, pink salmon live only two years. During this time, they stay high up in the water, feasting mainly on small short-lived fish, squid, shrimp and eels. As a result, they don’t have time to build-up PCBs, dioxins or heavy metals in their fat reserves, which makes them one of the cleanest and purest sources of Omega-3 available.

The purest form of Omega-3

The oil from wild Alaskan pink salmon meets or exceeds the most stringent requirements for purity – even before purification. However, there are a lot of companies that cut corners in their processing or make false claims, so it is best to only consume purified salmon oil supplements from a trusted supplier.