Pork problems.
The recent recall of Irish pork was driven by dioxin contamination, though several media outlets incorrectly referred to these chemicals as 'PCBs.'
This week, pork meat/products were recalled in the Republic of Ireland due to contamination with dioxins. The UK Food Standards Agency is actively investigating the developing situation.
Naturally, the event has received considerable international media attention. While many reports (Reuters, Washington Post) correctly identified the causative agent as dioxin, others mixed up the story by interchanging and mis-using the terms dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).
Notably, the Irish Times wrote two articles yesterday (article 1, article 2) that included the statement: the “recall followed the discovery of potentially dangerous dioxins, known as PCBs.”
Dioxins and PCBs are two different classes of pollutants. Dioxins are unintentional byproducts of combustion; PCBs are manufactured.
Though dioxins and certain types of PCBs (termed dioxin-like PCBs) share similarities in structure and mechanistic toxicity, they are not the same chemicals.
When reporting on such events, all efforts should be made to correctly identify and report the causative agent and not mislead or confuse readers by using generalized and inaccurate terms.
