Press Release: EFSA opinion on okadaic acid marine biotoxins

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked by the European Commission to assess the current European Union limits for various marine biotoxins in relation to human health and the methods of analysis used to detect these toxins. The Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM), on 31 January 2008, published the first in a series of nine opinions on the various biotoxins and it addresses one group , okadaic acid (OA) and related toxins that together form the group of OA-toxins. These toxins can be found in various species of shellfish, mainly in filter-feeding bivalve molluscs such as oysters, mussels, scallops and clams.

• Primary Source

European Food Safety Authority: Scientific Panels and Units: Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain: Marine biotoxins in shellfish - okadaic acid and analogues - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food chain http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178682985887.htm

---