Food safety testing underway in Salina following firework factory explosion

The agricultural area near the site of Monday's fireworks factory explosion is being tested by food safety officials following concerns about chemical fallout from the blast contaminating the food chain.

In a statement, the Food Safety and Security Authority (FSSA) said it was testing the area “to determine any potential impact that debris, combustion residues or other contaminants may have on food, feed and agricultural produce”.

“Inspections, sampling and risk assessments are underway and will continue as necessary”, it said, and that it had taken “immediate precautionary measures” following the explosion.

The head of the Malta Food Agency (MFA) told Times of Malta that the agency was working closely with the FSSA to make sure that everything is safe for consumption.

“No risks have been identified yet,” said MFA CEO Brian Vella, adding it was “lucky” that hay stored in the area had already been processed and that the wind direction at the time of the blast had kept the fallout from blowing towards vegetable crops in the area.

He said that with part of the agency's remit to promote local products, it was working closely with the FSSA to safeguard the reputation of Maltese produce.

Concerns have been raised about possible dangers posed to Malta’s food supply by the explosion, which was powerful enough to shatter glass kilometres away and register on the Richter scale used to measure earthquakes.

Highlighting the potential dangers of the fallout in a Facebook post, environmental management expert Brian Restall warned that blasts of the size seen on Monday “scatter massive quantities of raw, unburnt chemicals over the countryside”.

Chemicals including potassium perchlorate and heavy metals such as barium, strontium, cadmium and arsenic – all used to create colours and other visual effects in firework displays – were of “great concern to water bodies”, he wrote.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Restall explained that even when set off intentionally, chemicals and heavy metals were found in areas surrounding firework displays, leading to “concerns for the whole food chain”.

He noted that the health impacts of such compounds were “well documented”, while warning against public alarm until further information was available.

Calling for thorough testing of the area around the explosion site, he said “someone has to be checking whether products coming into the food chain are made from produce in that area ... Testing is the least I would expect”.

He added that “even [swimming] pools in the area should be tested”.

A 2018 study into perchlorate levels in soil samples by chemistry lecturer Colette Pace found that the highest levels of perchlorate were found in soil collected from areas in the south of Malta, in particular Hal Saptan and Qrendi.

That study, combined with an earlier study of perchlorate levels in dust samples carried out by former University of Malta Alfred Vella, “clearly point out that the Maltese environment is contaminated with perchlorate, due to the excessive pyrotechnic activity”, Pace wrote.

She noted that perchlorate contamination was a “worldwide problem”. The chemical, which can be ingested through contaminated water, food and dust, has been linked to adverse health effects affecting the thyroid gland and the development of young children.

Pace noted that while studies carried out abroad had detected perchlorate in breast milk, dairy milk and infant formula solutions, no local study had been carried out by the time of her report.

“It would appear prudent to consider whether there is a connection between perchlorate concentration and human health,” she said.

“The precautionary principle would argue for a reduction in the intensity of firework activities, which clearly conduce to the presence of the contaminants in the environment.”

A 2019 study by Pace and Vella concluded that Malta's limited freshwater resources were affected by "environmental contamination resulting from the only known strong source of perchlorate, namely the burning of fireworks".

Questions have been sent to the Environment and Resources Authority.