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.