Free-range Chicken Eggs Contain More Dioxin: Taiwanese
Study
Eggs from free-range chickens contain nearly six times more of
the toxic chemical, dioxin, than eggs hatched by caged hens, a
Taiwanese study has found.
Dioxin, a by-product of garbage burning and industrial
activities, can cause a range of illnesses in humans,
including cancer and miscarriages.
The study, which analysed egg samples from six free range
areas and 12 caged areas, was carried out by environmental
scientists at National Cheng Kung University and published by
the American Chemical Society recently.
It confirmed previous research showing that chickens roaming
in the wild had higher chances of being exposed to dioxin,
experts said.
Taiwanese authorities last year slaughtered 9,000 ducks
contaminated with dioxin from a farm polluted by a nearby
illegal furnace slag dump.