BREMEN, Germany, June 27, 2012 – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, is alerting food testing laboratories in Europe that it offers methods to detect and confirm dioxins in food products. These methods, developed by the Thermo Fisher POPs (persistent organic pollutants) Center of Excellence in Bremen, are critical technology for monitoring and containing the latest occurrence of dioxin contamination of chicken eggs in the Lower-Saxony region of Germany. Local authorities closed at least one farm on June 18 and are investigating the incident. More than 250,000 eggs have been recalled.
The methods are used by food scientists to extract, purify, screen and confirm dioxins in food and animal feed. The methods are available online at www.thermoscientific.com/pops. “
The public health and economic risks can be astronomical whenever a toxin enters the food supply chain,” said Dr. Kyle D’Silva, product manager GC/HRMS, Thermo Fisher. “This is why we’re driven to help food producers and testing labs anticipate and quickly respond to crises and minimize the damage.”
Dioxins are associated with reproductive and developmental disorders, damage to the human immune system, hormonal problems and increased incidence of cancer, according to the World Health Organization and numerous other studies. Thermo Fisher is a leading developer of high-resolution mass spectrometry technology and other instrumentation used by food labs and for other analytical chemistry and life science applications worldwide.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of $12 billion, we have approximately 39,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through three premier brands, Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific and Unity™ Lab Services, which offer a unique combination of innovative technologies, convenient purchasing options and a single solution for laboratory operations management. Our products and services help our customers solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Visit www.thermofisher.com.