Chemical hazards associated with fish as a food

The marine environment is the final repository for a variety of chemical compounds, including several known pollutants whose toxic effects have been well demonstrated, for example, lead is well known to be associated with neurological disorders, dioxins have been associated with metabolic disorders and DDT is a known carcinogen. Fish can accumulate these compounds. In particular, the fish portion of the diet is the main source of contamination with polychlorinated compounds such as dioxins as well as polychlorinated napthalenes for many people. However, because the part that fish represent in the diet is often limited, these contaminations mostly occur in a comparatively chronic fashion and at a comparatively low dose. The effect of these compounds when exposure occurs in such a fashion are less clear and less well known than compared to a high level of exposure and require more research.