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Saturday, June 21, 2003

Unhealthy levels of mercury found in freshwater bass

By MARY VUONG
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Women of child-bearing age and young children should limit their consumption of freshwater bass caught in Washington state because of elevated mercury levels, health officials advised yesterday.

In the first statewide study of mercury concentration in fish, the Department of Ecology found 51 percent of the sampled bass population had mercury at or exceeding a level that raises health concerns.

It tested 185 smallmouth and largemouth bass from 18 lakes and two rivers, including Lake Meridian in King County.

Bass from Washington waters also revealed, on average, higher levels of mercury than canned tuna.

Bass was chosen for testing because it typically carries higher levels of mercury than other fish, said Dave McBride, a toxicologist at the state Department of Health.

Too much mercury can hinder brain development in fetuses and small children. Adults also may suffer problems in the central nervous and cardiovascular systems.

The consequences to human health may be minimal, however, since bass consumption in Washington is limited.

About 75 percent of the bass caught in Washington are freed.

"Most of our fishing is done all catch and release," said Joe Arballo, president of the non-profit Washington State Bass Anglers Sportsman Society Federation.

"On a personal level, if I go out to catch some fish to eat, I won't keep anything over 12 inches."

The standard length for Washington bass tested was 14 inches.

The state found higher levels of mercury in older and bigger bass, supporting other studies that indicate concentration is greater in large, predatory fish such as bass.

The state set the threshold at 150 parts per billion, lower than the level used by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The lowest concentration found was 22 ppb while the highest was 1,280 ppb, which exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 1,000 ppb level for removing fish from the marketplace.

"I think that today's advisory is a step in the right direction," said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, an environmental advocate for Washington Public Interest Research Group.

"It's great from a public health perspective that we now know that pregnant women and young kids need to be concerned about fish that they're eating.

"It is sad from an environmental perspective" that mercury contamination was found in so many locations, she said.

Sager-Rosenthal said she'd like to see the state legislature, which recently rejected a request for additional funding for mercury sampling for 2003-2005, continue paying for the effort. The state has published the new recommendations in its sport-fishing pamphlet and brochures to Women, Infants and Children clinics, and is spreading the word through fishing groups.

SEAFOOD GUIDELINES

Seafood with high levels of mercury

Women of child-bearing age and children under 6 should avoid shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and tuna steaks, and limit consumption of canned tuna. Women should eat no more than 6 ounces a week (less if you are under 135 pounds). Children can have one ounce if they weigh 20 pounds, three ounces if they weigh 60 pounds. Others should consume in moderation.

How much Washington bass you safely can consume depends on your weight. Women who are or may become pregnant generally should not exceed two 8-ounce servings of bass per month. Children younger than 6 should avoid more than a meal a month. The serving size varies; a 75-pound child, for example, can have about 8 ounces.

For more information, visit www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/EHA_what's_new.htm and click on "Talking Points."

Source: Washington State Department of Health

FISH FACTS

Seafood that's over-fished, caught or farmed in ways that can harm the environment

Caviar, Beluga/Osetra/Sevruga

Chilean sea bass

Cod, Atlantic/Icelandic

Crab, king (imported)

Lingcod

Monkfish

Orange roughy

Rockfish/Rock cod/Pacific snapper

Salmon (farmed/Atlantic)

Sharks (except U.S. West Coast thresher)

Shrimp (imported)

Sturgeon (wild-caught)

Swordfish (Atlantic)

Tuna, bluefin

Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium

WHERE TESTING TOOK PLACE

The Department of Ecology tested these 18 lakes and two rivers in Washington for mercury in bass. More than half the 185 sampled fish had or exceeded a concentration level that raises health concerns.

American Lake

Banks Lake

Black Lake

Bonaparte Lake

Deer Lake

Duck Lake

Fazon Lake

Kitsap Lake

Loomis Lake

Lake Meridian

Moses Lake

Newman Lake

Offutt Lake

Okanogan River

Palmer Lake

Lake Samish*

Lake Terrell

Upper Long Lake

Vancouver Lake

Walla Walla River

*A 10-year-old fish collected here had a mercury level of 1,280 parts per billion, which also exceeds the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 1,000 ppb level for removing fish from the marketplace.

P-I reporter Mary Vuong can be reached at 206-448-8011 or maryvuong@seattlepi.com

101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000

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