CVS, Pharmavite, GNC Under Fire in Fish Oil Lawsuit
A new lawsuit alleges that some fish oil capsules sold as health supplements for their Omega-3 fatty acids content have illegally undisclosed and unnecessarily high levels of contamination with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds.
The lawsuit names eight makers and sellers of fish oil, shark oil, fish liver oil and shark liver oil supplements that have PCB contamination above the "safe harbor" limits set for human PCB consumption under California's Proposition 65. That law requires consumers to be warned about such exposures. Proposition 65, passed as a ballot initiative by a 2:1 margin in 1986, has a consistent history of forcing consumer products to eliminate toxic chemical ingredients or reduce them below published "safe harbor" limits.
More information is available at www.fishoilsafety.com.
The lawsuit names eight makers and sellers of fish oil, shark oil, fish liver oil and shark liver oil supplements that have PCB contamination above the "safe harbor" limits set for human PCB consumption under California's Proposition 65. That law requires consumers to be warned about such exposures. Proposition 65, passed as a ballot initiative by a 2:1 margin in 1986, has a consistent history of forcing consumer products to eliminate toxic chemical ingredients or reduce them below published "safe harbor" limits.
The initial defendants named, in alphabetical order, are: CVS Pharmacy Inc.; General Nutrition Corp. (GNC); Now Health Group Inc.; Omega Protein Inc.; Pharmavite LLC (Nature Made brand); Rite Aid Corp.; Solgar Inc.; and TwinLab Corp.
As press time, the defendant companies had yet to make statements concerning the lawsuit's allegations.
"While looking at the industrial fishing operations of controversial Omega Protein, we found that the industry seems very aware that fish oil supplements can be high in PCBs," says Chris Manthey, one of the plaintiffs. "That's why many of them say their supplements have been 'treated' to remove or reduce PCBs. But since they don't say how much PCB contamination is still left, even consumers who choose 'treated' supplements can't know what PCB levels they're swallowing along with their daily omega-3."
Plaintiffs are conducting more tests and expect to add other companies to the legal action, if and when test results of their fish oil products show levels of PCB contamination that should have been warned about under California law.
More information is available at www.fishoilsafety.com.
