iStock/Thinkstock(LONDON) — Fifteen countries in the European Union, along with Switzerland and Hong Kong, have received eggs tainted with an insecticide, according to the European Commission.
The insecticide, fipronil, has been found in contaminated eggs from the Netherlands. Fipronil is used to kill lice and ticks on animals. It was banned by the EU in the food industry and has been linked to kidney, liver and thyroid-gland damage when eaten in large quantities.
Farms in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany were shut down after authorities confirmed that fipronil had been used, according to European Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario.
The countries include the U.K., Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Denmark.
The commission will hold a Sept. 26 meeting with regulators.
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