Is There DDT in your Omega-3s?

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A new study commissioned by Greenpeace [PDF] found that that OmegaPure brand omega-3 fish oil supplements contains high levels of DDT, the pesticide Dieldrin, and PCBs. Yikes. That’s bad news for consumers of OmegaPure, which is made by Omega Protein, North America’s biggest fish-oil producer. But as we’ve already reported, DDT and PCBs aren’t the only reasons thoughtful consumers might want to skip OmegaPure. First of all, it’s made from menhaden, an ecologically crucial fish that’s in danger of being wiped out by Omega’s fishery. And if you still need a fatty acid fix, there are other, less destructive options out there. Which is not to say that other fish-oil products don’t contain some of the nasty stuff apparently in menhaden oil. I suspect that there’s no longer such a thing as a contaminant-free fish oil.