Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian Deputy Agricultural Minister Hassan Rokni has rejected reports about high level of lead contamination in the produced raw chicken meat, the country's ISNA news agency reported Jan. 19.
It is while Rahmatollah Hafezi, the head of Health Commission of Tehran City Council said on Jan. 18 that the level of lead in chicken meat distributed in Tehran province is 47 percent more than the global standard.
Rokni said that two years ago a test indicated high lead levels in chicken meat.
"However, additional tests after that rejected the claim and validation of the former test," the official said.
Rokni added that the chicken meat produced in Iran is done under high standards and is exported to different countries. But at the same time, Hafezi announced that the Health Commission of Tehran City Council is studying the issue.
"We are running a new test and the reports will be announced in two weeks," he said.
In 2013, Iranian media outlets quoted Hossein Safaei, director of Vegetable and Fruit Marketplaces of Tehran Municipality as saying raw chicken meat in the capital city of Tehran's markets contain carcinogen heavy metals.
He went on to note that the level of lead in raw chicken mean exceeds the normal limit by about 47.8 percent.
"About 17.4 percent of the raw chicken meat contain unauthorized levels of the cadmium and nitrate," Safaei added.
He also expressed concern about high level of carcinogens in vegetables which being sold in Tehran markets.
Edited by CN
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