據世界自然基金會（WWF）的研究報告顯示，歐洲的食物廣泛地受到有害化學合成物污染，其中包括奶油、牛奶、蘇格蘭鮭魚、希臘羊乳酪、西班牙火腿和義大利臘腸等，都無可倖免。基金會表示，這樣的發現顯示工業化學原料的濫用，並強調需要訂立更嚴格的法規加以約束。
這份報告中測試的食品包括乳製品、肉品、魚類、麵包、蜂蜜和橄欖油，結果發現27個樣本中每一項都殘留人造化學物質。這些食品是從7個歐盟國家英國、義大利、西班牙、希臘、瑞典、芬蘭和波蘭的超級市場買來。
8種作為偵測指標的人造化合物如下：有機氯化烴殺蟲劑、多氯聯苯化合物、溴系耐燃劑、全氟化合物、鄰苯二甲酸酯類、有機錫化合物、烷基酚、和人工麝香。
研究員在橄欖油、乳酪和肉品中測出鄰苯二甲酸酯類，在魚類和馴鹿肉測出有機氯化烴殺蟲劑，在魚類中測出人造麝香和有機錫，在肉品和乳酪中測出溴系耐燃劑。
報告指出，民眾未必會因為食用這些受污染的產品而立即出現不適症狀，但長期接觸這些低污染的食品絕對是一項潛在風險，尤其對發育中的胚胎、嬰孩和兒童更是危險。而同時接觸多種低濃度污染物的危險性，又高於接觸單一低濃度污染物的傷害。
食物是人類接觸污染源最重要的路徑之一，尤其一些很安定的化合物，會在環境裡不斷累積而不分解，危害尤大，DDT、多氯聯苯和溴系耐燃劑都屬於此類。
歐洲內分泌干擾素研究網（CASCADE）聯繫人古斯塔森（Jan-Åke Gustafsson）教授表示：「這些累積的污染物對人類影響最大，因為我們是食物鏈中最後一環。此外，這些化合物和荷爾蒙很像，一旦進入體內，它們會干擾內分泌正常運作，而可能造成肥胖、生育力降低和多種癌症。」
世界自然基金會指出，這份報告證實歐盟有必要更嚴格控管這些化學物質的使用和排放，他們正敦促歐盟針對化合物製造商實行鐵腕政策，包括提供化學物質安全資料表，並擬出具體時程，針對最危險的化學物研發替代物。
Traces of potentially harmful synthetic chemicals are in a wide array of food across Europe, including butter, milk, Scottish salmon, Greek cheese, Spanish ham and Italian salami. The report from WWF said the findings illustrate the pervasiveness of industrial chemicals and underscores the need for tighter chemical regulation.
WWF found traces of manmade chemicals in every one of 27 food items tested, including dairy products, meat, fish, bread, honey and olive oil. The samples were purchased in supermarkets in seven EU countries - the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Greece, Sweden, Finland and Poland.
The samples were analyzed for eight different groups of man-made chemicals - organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated chemicals, phthalates, organotins, alkylphenols and artificial musks.
The findings ranged from phthalates in olive oil, cheeses and meats, organochlorine pesticides in fish and reindeer meat, artificial musks and in fish, and flame retardants in meats and cheeses.
Although people will not necessarily become ill by eating these food items, the report said, there are serious concerns about the potential effects of long-term, low levels exposure to chemicals in the diet, especially on the developing foetus, infants and young children. And it is not so much the exposure to low levels of one pollutant that raises health concerns, but rather exposure to a mixture of chemicals.
Food is one of the most important routes for human exposure to pollutants, the report said, and this is particularly true for chemicals that persist and accumulate in the environment, such as DDT, PCBs and brominated flame retardants.
"Being at the top of the food chain, humans are particularly exposed to chemicals in food," said Professor Jan-Åke Gustafsson, coordinator of CASCADE, a European network focusing on endocrine disrupting chemicals in food, and who is supporting the WWF report. "As some of these chemicals are similar to hormones, they interfere with our endocrine system and may be a risk factor for diseases like obesity, different forms of cancer and diabetes as well as reduced fertility."
WWF said the report demonstrates the need for stricter chemical regulation and the group is urging the European Union to adopt stronger rules, including requirements for chemical manufacturers to provide regulators with safety data on chemicals and a provision to replace the most hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives whenever available.
