The Fire Retardant in the Seafood Chain

A chemical additive helped stop fishmeal from catching fire on ships, but it carried a downstream carcinogenic risk to modern food systems.

By: Ian Urbina, Inside Climate News

Outlets: Sentient

Published: October 16, 2026

Words: 1,117

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

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This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

This story is part of an investigation conducted by an international team of journalists based at The Outlaw Ocean Project. Read the other stories here.

In January 1966, a South African ship caught fire at sea. In port in Bristol, England, after firefighters pried open the …

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