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Cancer-linked chemicals found in Hong Kong hairy crab

Food safety authority calls on retailers to stop selling product sourced from two mainland aquaculture farms

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A batch of hairy crabs sourced from the mainland. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Authorities have urged retailers to stop selling hairy crabs from two mainland farms after some were found to be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals.

Two out of five hairy crab samples from three importers and two retailers were found to contain excessive levels of dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls. Both are highly toxic chemical compounds that can cause cancer and damage the reproductive and immune systems, a Centre for Food Safety spokeswoman said.

The test results of the inspection in late September, released on Monday, showed the two samples recorded dioxin levels of 11.7 picograms and 40.3 picograms per gram. The acceptable level is 6.5 picograms.

The centre’s assistant director of food surveillance and control Dr Choi Mei-yee said a number of affected crabs had already been sold on the market, but was not able to say exactly how many.

The affected samples originated from two aquaculture farms in the eastern Jiangsu province, which account for up to 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s import market, this year’s records show.

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