High mercury risk in fish raises alarm
'Problem a lot more widespread than we realized,' group says
Mercury is turning up in fish in Washington state's remote lakes and reservoirs at levels that could be harmful to women and children, and more than half the fish tested nationwide also are contaminated, according to a study by an environmental coalition.
The results highlight the need to take stronger action to reduce mercury pollution, particularly from coal-burning power plants, according to Clear the Air, a coalition pushing for more stringent mercury-emission standards.
In rural Washington, the study found mercury in fish caught in Yakima, Kittitas and Grant counties at levels that would trigger health advisories for women of childbearing age.
"The problem is a lot more widespread than we realized," said Mo McBroom of the Washington Public Interest Research Group, which joined its national organization in releasing the study yesterday.
Nearly 30 percent of the fish tested in Washington by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exceeded EPA's mercury-exposure limit for women of childbearing age, according to the coalition's analysis of the federal data. The highest levels were found in bottom-dwelling, long-lived fish, such as largescale suckers and mountain whitefish.
Nationally, more than half of the fish samples were contaminated above safety limits for women of childbearing age, and more than three-quarters exceeded limits for children under 3 who eat fish twice a week. About 2,500 fish were collected from 260 bodies of water.
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
High mercury risk in fish raises alarm
