More than 90,000 eggs contaminated with the insecticide Fipronil were seized by police in Italy, DPA reported.

About 6000 eggs were found at a producer near Ancona, on the Adriatic coast, and 85,000 infected eggs - including 32,000 for animal feed - were found in Viterbo, north of Rome. The police operation took place after the Italian health ministry announced on Monday that 114 samples of eggs were tested, two of them responding positively to the insecticide. At a press conference on Wednesday, the police's Food Safety Office said it was investigating the cause of the infection. It may be accidental or a result of illegal use of Fipronil in chickens, chief service officer General Adelmo Lucy said.

The scandal of Fipronil infected eggs broke out in early August, at first in Belgium and the Netherlands. It has subsequently become clear that insecticide banned for use in animals for consumption in the EU has been used in poultry farms. Until now, the substance has been found in 20 countries inside and outside the EU - in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Fipronil is a common ingredient in veterinary products for the control of fleas, lice and ticks in animals. It is prohibited for use on animals intended for human consumption. The World Health Organization describes it as "moderately toxic" to humans because it can cause damage to the liver, thyroid and kidneys. The European Commission announced earlier this month that an emergency meeting of representatives of all companies involved with the egg scandal would be convened on 26 September.

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