Lipid Composition and Contaminants in Farmed and Wild Salmon M. COREEN HAMILTON, † RONALD A. HITES, ‡ STEVEN J. SCHWAGER, § JEFFERY A. FORAN, | BARBARA A. KNUTH, ⊥ AND DAVID O. CARPENTER* ,# AXYS Analytical Services, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, Midwest Center for Environmental Science and Public Policy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, and Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, One University Place, A217, Rensselaer, New York 12144 Levels of omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids and lipid-adjusted concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, toxaphene, and dieldrin were determined in 459 farmed Atlantic salmon, 135 wild Pacific salmon, and 144 supermarket farmed Atlantic salmon fillets purchased in 16 cities in North America and Europe. These were the same fish previously used for measurement of organohalogen contaminants. Farmed salmon had greater levels of total lipid (average 16.6%) than wild salmon (average 6.4%). The n-3 to n-6 ratio was about 10 in wild salmon and 3-4 in farmed salmon. The supermarket samples were similar to the farmed salmon from the same region. Lipid-adjusted contaminant levels were significantly higher in farmed Atlantic salmon than those in wild Pacific salmon (F ) 7.27, P ) 0.0089 for toxaphene; F ) 15.39, P ) 0.0002 for dioxin; F g 21.31, P < 0.0001 for dieldrin and PCBs, with df ) (1,64) for all). Levels of total lipid were in the range of 30-40% in the fish oil/fish meal that is fed to farmed salmon. Salmon, especially farmed salmon, are a good source of healthy n-3 fatty acids, but they also contain high concentrations of organochlorine compounds such as PCBs, dioxins, and chlorinated pesticides. The presence of these contaminants may reduce the net health benefits derived from the consumption of farmed salmon, despite the presence of the high level of n-3 fatty acids in these fish. Introduction Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential lipids that cannot be synthesized by mammalian organisms. Conse- quently these fatty acids must come from the diet. There are two categories of essential PUFAs; both consist of a number of different lipids varying in carbon chain length and the number of double bonds. Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids have a double bond at the third carbon position, while omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids have a double bond at the sixth carbon position from the methyl end. The n-6 fatty acids are present in a great variety of food sources. The precursor fatty acid for the n-6 class is linoleic acid, which is required for synthesis of arachidonic acid and prostaglandins (1). Vegetable oils and meats are rich in n-6 fatty acids, but these also are present at lower levels in fish and shellfish. While n-6 fatty acids are essential, excessive amounts may be harmful. The diets of most people in developed countries include excessive intake of n-6 fatty acids. While the diets of early humans probably had a n-3 to n-6 ratio of about 1, modern Western diets have a ratio of about 1/15 (2), primarily because of the widespread consumption of vegetable oils that are rich in linoleic acid (3). Levels of n-3 fatty acids are particularly high in fish and shellfish. Algae and phytoplankton synthesize a variety of longer-chain n-3 fatty acids through conversion of linoleic acid to R-linolenic acid, and these longer-chain fatty acids become concentrated in seafood. However, n-3 fatty acids are also found in a number of other foods, including other meats, legumes such as soy and pinto beans, cereals, some nuts, and flaxseed, walnut, and canola oils (4). The n-3 fatty acid in plants is R-linolenic acid (18 carbons), while in seafood there are longer-chain n-3 fatty acids, especially eicosa- pentaenoic (EPA) (20 carbons) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) (22 carbons) acids. In general, the fattier the fish, the higher the levels of the n-3 fatty acids; however, up to 40% or more of total fat content, even in fish with relatively little fat, is in the form of n-3 fatty acids (5). Humans can synthesize the longer-chain fatty acids from R-linolenic acid (6, 7), although this process is not as efficient as intake from fish consumption. Interestingly, young women have a greater capacity to synthesize longer-chain n-3 fatty acids from R-linolenic acid (8) than do young men (9). There are n-3 fatty acids, including significant levels of R-linolenic acid and lower levels of longer- chain n-3 PUFAs, in all ruminant and nonruminant animal meats (4) and particularly in grass-fed beef (10). Many cereals, vegetables, and dairy products contain R-linolenic acid but little or no longer-chain n-3 fatty acids (4). The health benefits of eating fish such as salmon are well- known (1, 11). However, salmon are relatively fatty carnivo- rous fish that bioaccumulate environmental contaminants, which themselves pose health risks. We have recently reported an analysis of the levels of 14 organochlorine contaminants and brominated diphenyl ethers in over 700 farmed, wild, and supermarket samples of salmon (12, 13). We found that farmed salmon and supermarket fillets of farmed salmon contain on average about 10 times the levels of most of the organochlorine and organobromine com- pounds that are found in wild Pacific salmon on a wet weight basis. By following fish consumption guidelines developed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for three of these substances (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxaphene, and dieldrin) and assuming cancer risk additivity, we calculated that consumption of more than one meal a month, on average, would increase the risk of cancer beyond the level of 1 in 100 000. But the risk of cancer must be balanced against the benefits of the consumption of n-3 fatty acids. This report provides information on the content of various lipids in the farmed, wild, and supermarket salmon * Corresponding author phone: (518)525-2660; fax: (518)525-2665; e-mail: carpent@uamail.albany.edu. † AXYS Analytical Services. ‡ Indiana University. § Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Cornell University. | Midwest Center for Environmental Science and Public Policy. ⊥ Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University. # University at Albany. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, 39, 8622-8629 8622 9 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / VOL. 39, NO. 22, 2005 10.1021/es050898y CCC: $30.25  2005 American Chemical Society Published on Web 10/14/2005