Raleigh, N.C. — September 15, 2013 — A group of researchers and entrepreneurs in the North Carolina Research Triangle area has developed an inexpensive instant test for formaldehyde on food and, in the process, found that about one-quarter of the fish they bought at chain grocery stores contained unacceptable levels of the suspected carcinogen.
A. James Attar and his co-workers said formaldehyde was found only on some of the fish imported from China and South Vietnam. It was not found on fish produced in the United States, South America or India.
Attar said the findings indicate that the U.S. needs to better inspect its food supply, in particular imported perishable goods.
“I think this is a national issue,” said Attar, a former professor of chemical engineering at N.C. State University. “I think we have some responsibility to protect people’s health.”
Attar announced the findings last week at N.C. State’s Centennial Campus, where he, Jason Morton and Matthew Swartz developed the formaldehyde test for ChemSee, a branch of their company, Appealing Products Inc. They say the company is focused on the development of novel and relatively inexpensive products that simplify complex scientific procedures.
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