A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry is reported to have discovered that eggs from free-range chickens in industrialized Taiwan contain nearly six times more dioxins that are responsible for cancer, compared to eggs from caged hens.

"Because free-range hens spend most of their lives in an outside environment, they have a better chance of being exposed to contaminants from the environment," explained, the lead, Pao-Chi Liao of the Environmental and Occupational Health department at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan.

The study involved observation of eggs from free-range and caged hens in a view to test them for the presence of dioxins - polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) , which are revealed to be highly prevalent in Taiwan.

It outlined that dioxin levels present in the free-range eggs were 5.7 times more compared to those in caged chickens, on an average basis.

Also, nearly 17% of free-range eggs were witnessed to have dioxin levels greater than the limits framed by the European Community.

The presences of dioxins, which develop in the fatty tissues of the body over time, are associated to pose a boosted risk of cancer.

Experts uncovered that it’s the non-cancerous and other effects impacts on the immune system and reproductive and sexual growth render a person at a greater risk.