Warning on Eating Reservoir Fish
JANE KAY / SF Chronicle 15oct04
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Mindfully.org
note: While the chemicals do not concentrate in water as they do
in fish, as Mr. Bruhns states in this article, one visualize the fact that
these same chemicals are accumulating in our own bodies at possibly
greater levels because we are at the top of the food chain. All the
contaminants that accumulate in these reservoir fish is also accumulating
in animals around the world, whether or not they are farm animals. And in
fact, farm animals that are fed non-organic feeds are at risk of being
more contaminated than animals living in the wild. There are many articles
on this website about such problems. Here is one example about farmed
fish, "Farmed Salmon A Gamble on a Plate?"
- Philadelphia Inquirer 19jan04. |
*Health officials issued warnings on eating sport fish caught in 10 drinking water reservoirs in Marin, Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties because of mercury and PCB contamination.
Largemouth bass contained the highest mercury concentrations, and carp and channel catfish had the highest levels of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, according to the advisories prepared by the counties with the help of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
The public health agencies issued advisories Thursday after finding that the fish contained pollutants at concentrations high enough to pose risks to the general population and especially to women of childbearing age and growing children up to the age of 17.
The new guidelines pertain to Del Valle, Shadow Cliffs and Lake Chabot reservoirs in Alameda County; San Pablo and Lafayette reservoirs in Contra Costa County; Soulajule, Nicasio and Bon Tempe reservoirs in Marin County, and Anderson and Stevens Creek reservoirs in Santa Clara County.
The mercury in the environment comes from rock formations, mine wastes, airborne pollution from coal-burning power plants and other sources. Bacteria in the sediment convert inorganic mercury to the more toxic methylmercury, which enters the food chain.
The water in the reservoirs is regularly monitored to ensure that it is safe to drink, state health officials said Thursday. Fish take in the contaminants when they feed on the aquatic life that lives in the sediments. The contaminants can accumulate in fish to concentrations many thousands of times greater than in the surrounding water.
"Chemical contaminants found in this study don't concentrate in the water as they do in fish,'' said Wil Bruhns, a spokesman for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Women can pass methylmercury on to their fetuses through the placenta and to infants in breast milk. Mercury may damage a child's nervous system, leading to subtle decreases in learning ability, language skills, attention and memory.
In adults, the most subtle symptoms are numbness or tingling sensations in the hands and feet or around the mouth. High exposures can lead to tremors and memory loss.
PCBs, now banned, were used for electrical insulation. They can also harm the developing fetus, damage the adult immune system and increase the long- term risk of cancer.
According to the advisories, no one should eat carp from Lake Chabot. Young women and children shouldn't eat largemouth bass from Anderson and Stevens Creek reservoirs.
Rainbow trout from San Pablo Reservoir and black crappie from Lafayette Reservoir appear to be the cleanest fish with 12 8-ounce meals allowed each month for even the sensitive groups.
Specific consumption advice for the each of the reservoirs may be obtained by calling (510) 622-2327 or on the Web at www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/so_cal/bayareares.html.
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source: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/10/15/BAGV099VN91.DTL&type=printable 19oct04
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