GoKawiilEthoxyquin fire retardant traced through decades of fishmeal shipping, Outlaw Ocean Project finds
An investigation by The Outlaw Ocean Project documents how fishmeal, a dried fish powder prone to spontaneous combustion, caused at least 90 ship and plant fires from the 1950s through the 1970s. Cargill introduced ethoxyquin, a chemical previously used to preserve rubber tires and produce, as a fire-suppressing additive for fishmeal starting in 1967. Industry data cited in the investigation shows reported fires fell from about 16 a year to five after the chemical's adoption.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The findings connect a chemical now scrutinized for its presence in seafood and animal feed to a decades-old industrial safety fix, suggesting its widespread use in the fishmeal trade predates and may underlie modern questions about contamination in the seafood supply chain. The reporting implies that an additive adopted primarily for shipping safety has had lasting, largely unexamined effects on food systems reliant on fishmeal.
- Fishmeal's tendency to spontaneously combust caused dozens of ship and warehouse fires between the 1950s and 1970s.
- Cargill introduced ethoxyquin, a rubber and produce preservative, as a fire retardant for fishmeal in 1967.
- Industry figures show reported fishmeal-related fires dropped from about 16 annually to five after ethoxyquin's adoption.
Source: insideclimatenews.org — Ian Urbina, 2026-10-17
Published there as: “The fire retardant in the seafood chain”
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