Department of Ecology News Release - March 7, 2001 01-029
SPOKANE- No one should eat rainbow trout or mountain whitefish caught from Upriver Dam east to the Idaho state line on the Spokane River, according to a newly revised state Department of Health (DOH) advisory. The DOH also has set meal-limit recommendations according to fish species for the area west of Upriver Dam downstream to Nine-Mile Dam.
The DOH and the Spokane Regional Health District joined in issuing a health alert today after reviewing recent fish sampling results provided by the Department of Ecology (Ecology).
DOH examined the results from fish caught in the upper reach of the Spokane River and found concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that could cause health problems, especially for young children, pregnant women and women considering pregnancy. The fish tissues came from large scale suckers, mountain whitefish and rainbow trout.
If the fish are caught between the Upriver and Nine-Mile dams, it is safe to eat up to one meal of rainbow trout per month or one meal of mountain whitefish every other month.
Rainbow trout and mountain whitefish from the Upriver Dam east to the state line are not safe for anyone to consume. Up to one meal per month of large scale suckers caught between Nine Mile Dam and the state line may be eaten safely.
This fish consumption advisory takes into account a previous study that found elevated concentrations of lead in the same samples of fish tissue.
Because levels of lead and PCBs are higher in whole fish, the health departments recommend that people eat only the fillets of fish.
A public meeting to discuss the study results and the fish advisory will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, at the Department of Ecology, 4601 N.
Monroe St. in Spokane.
"It is difficult for health specialists to warn against eating fish because fish are such a good source of low-fat protein and essential fatty acids," said State Health Officer Maxine Hayes, M.D. "But until we see the concentrations of PCBs and lead in fish from this area drop to a safer level, we are urging everyone to take these precautions seriously."
The recent study was limited to fish samples taken in 1999 to test for metals contamination in the upper portions of the river as a result of past mining practices in North Idaho. Because of concerns about PCBs in the river, the tissues were tested for PCBs as well. Eventually, Ecology plans to collect and analyze fish samples from the river downstream of Nine-Mile Dam in Long Lake and the Spokane arm of Lake Roosevelt.
PCBs are a family of human-made, chlorinated chemical compounds that were once used in a variety of products. Commercial production of PCBs began in the U.S. in 1929, but was halted in the late1970s because of concerns about toxicity and persistence in the environment.
Elevated levels of lead and PCBs in the body can cause learning problems for young children. Developing fetuses are particularly sensitive to these harmful effects.
Scientists know that PCBs build up in the body over a lifetime; however, the potential health effects are not well known. Animal studies have shown that PCBs can affect the reproductive and immune systems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified PCBs as a probable human carcinogen.
"The Department of Ecology is working to ensure that the river reaches its full potential by actively addressing lingering past indiscretions, such as mining contamination and now the PCB problem," said Tony Grover, Ecology's regional director in Spokane.
Grover said Ecology is working with industries that have discharged PCBs in the past to remove or contain PCB-contaminated sediments that are resting behind Upriver Dam. He added that Ecology also will work with towns and cities, including Spokane, to determine if low levels of PCBs are in their treatment plant effluents and how they might take steps to eliminate any PCB discharges.
Ecology will continue monitoring the river to learn more about where the PCBs come from and where they have accumulated.
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