South Carolinians who enjoy fishing can go online now to see if the fish on their line is safe to eat or should be released because of possible contamination, the DHEC reported today.

“DHEC’s Web site at www.scdhec.gov/fish has a state map with the latest advisories, information, a booklet and other materials that can be downloaded,” said David Wilson, chief of DHEC’s Bureau of Water. “This information will help our citizens determine whether to keep and eat the fish they catch in South Carolina waters or release them back into the water.”

Wilson said that pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, infants and children should not eat any fish with a mercury advisory. These high risk groups are also advised not to eat any king mackerel, shark, swordfish, or tilefish. Infants and children are particularly sensitive to the effects of mercury since their nervous systems are still forming.

“People can still safely eat fish taken from the state’s waters if they follow the fish consumption advisory guidelines. These guidelines tell you the types and amounts of fish that are safe to eat from waters in South Carolina.” – David Wilson.

Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet for everyone, including women and children. Fish and shellfish contain protein and nutrients, are low in saturated fat and contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Each advisory is based on one meal (or 8 oz.) of uncooked fish, which is about the size of two decks of cards. Advice is given for a specific species of fish within a water body. The contamination is in the fish and does not make the water unsafe for recreational or drinking uses.

More than 60,000 copies of the consumption advisory booklets have been printed and can be obtained from local public health departments, DHEC Environmental Quality Control regional offices, S.C. Department of Natural Resources district offices, Sportsman’s Warehouse in Columbia, Bass Pro Shop in Myrtle Beach, OB/GYN offices, health clinics, many state parks or by ordering a copy online at www.scdhec.gov/fish. For additional questions or concerns about fish consumption advisories, call DHEC’s Fish Advisory Hotline at 1-888-849-7241 toll-free.

Advisories still exist on fish from some water bodies because of contaminants other than mercury:

• * An advisory on Lake Hartwell and associated waters continues because of contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls. No fish of any species should be eaten from the Seneca River arm of Lake Hartwell or 12 Mile Creek.
• * Largemouth bass and channel catfish in the rest of Lake Hartwell should be limited to one meal a month. No hybrid bass or striped bass should be eaten from any part of the lake. Georgia’s advisory on the Tugaloo arm of Lake Hartwell remains in effect.
• * Some fish from parts of the Savannah River also contain cesium-137 and strontium-90. If consumers follow the mercury advisory guidelines, their health will be protected.

From the Shem Creek blog.

“Fish Smart, Eat Smart” campaign updated for 2009

The Supreme Court “chose not to review a major test case on the federal government’s authority to regulate mercury pollution from electric power plants.

The Court had two appeals testing a Circuit Court ruling on that issue, but one of those was by the EPA, and that agency asked the Court to dismiss its petition after the new Obama Administration changed policy. (That petition was dismissed on Monday.) That left on the docket a utility petition, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. New Jersey, et al. (08-352).

On Monday, the Court denied that petition without comment.

What that means for you and me is that the mercury plan under Bush and his cronies has finally been shot down! President Obama and his administration will be drafting new legislation on this matter going forward, and that negates any cap-and-trade agreements industries were hoping for – meaning no hot-spots for you and me (besides what’s already out their of course)!

From the Shem Creek blog.

It’s a good day for Mercury here on Earth

We are all a little safer now that the U.S. and 120 other nations have endorsed negotiations for a global treaty to control mercury pollution.

“Since the primary sources of mercury in fish are power plant emissions that contaminate our water, regulation of utility emissions is essential to protecting the health of our children. In the Senate, President Obama introduced two pieces of legislation to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.” – Whitehouse.gov

There are approximately 50 mercury cell chlor alkali plants in operation, with 6 in the U.S. This is the closest one to S.C. – Olin Corporation’s plant in Augusta, Ga.
Credit: Oceana.org

Previously, Bush’s administration had opposed legally binding measures to control mercury, but it is one of the first things President Obama has taken care of. It’s no surprise really. Two years ago, Senator Obama sponsored the Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2007, and despite 5 nay votes from Republicans, his mission of safer legislation for mercury control was under way.

Last year, Congress passed the Mercury Export Ban Act to ban exports of elemental mercury beginning in 2013.

Today, the official rule of the land from the White House shows a much better stance towards safety for all of us when it comes to dealing with mercury.

“…the U.S., nor any other country can achieve sufficient reductions of mercury risks to protect the health of its citizens without serious cooperation internationally to reduce global mercury emissions.” – Daniel A. Reifsnyder, Dep. Asst. Sec. for the Dept. of State’s Environment and Sustainable Development

Now you can go to the NRDC site to check the federal government’s views on mercury: including mercury contamination in seafood and where mercury comes from, e.g.

1. Automobile Scrap
2. Chemical Manufacturing
3. Global Sources of Mercury
4. Mercury in the Food We Eat
5. Power Plants (speaking of dirty coal power plants)

“Mercury contamination of fish and mammals is a global public health concern. Our study of fish tested in different locations around the world shows that widely accepted international exposure levels for methylmercury are exceeded, often by wide margins, in each country and area covered.” – MPP Director Bender

From the Shem Creek blog.

Obama backs Global Mercury Control Treaty

What Happens When Government Agencies Don’t Agree
The Washington Post reports that FDA recommendations have alarmed scientists at the EPA, who have criticized them as “scientifically flawed and inadequate”, saying they fell short of the “scientific rigor routinely demonstrated by EPA.”

Most curious about this draft document obtained from the Environmental Working Group is what’s missing:

SECTION III: DATA ON EXPOSURE TO METHYLMERCURY IN THE UNITED STATES

From the FDA’s Monitoring Program, the most recent data updates as of today for Mercury Concentrations in Fish are from 4 years ago – except for 3 back in 2005.

As soon as the current FDA chief leaves office, we’ll all be better off.

From the Shem Creek blog.

EPA disagrees with FDA over seafood mercury

According to the EPA and the CDC, 1 in 6 – around 630,000 – American children are born with potentially unsafe levels of mercury in their blood every year.

Through Greenpeace, you can get tested for mercury today for only $25 – it may be a big eye-opener!

_{DHEC provided these figures in response to a request under the SC Freedom of Information Act from the Post & Courier. Emissions levels are estimates. Some locations were measured several years ago and may no long emit mercury emissions.}

From the Shem Creek blog.

DHEC’s Top Mercury Polluters list

• loss of hair,
• heart fluttering,
• heart, nervous system, and kidney damage,
• and more.

I haven’t ran into John in a couple of years, but hopefully everything is going good for him.

I’ve reported on seafood mercury levels in this blog before. As a matter of fact, my earlier post Seafood Mercury Levels Make Headlines quotes the same High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi article that MotherJones just mentioned, so it’s certainly nothing new on the health front, but it is one that people need to be aware of.

The problem is, with canned tuna providing the highest source of mercury in the American diet, people need to wake up and smell the tuna – without the mercury in it! Oh, and say thanks to the FDA for looking out for us.

It’s almost expected nowadays to hear that Bumble Bee, StarKist, and Tri-Union (parent company of Chicken of the Sea) are doing all they can to quiet their unhealthy ways, but when the FDA, the very agency of the U.S. government put in place to protect us, is out there reputedly taking payoffs from company executives, then we have a serious health issue here in America.

From the Shem Creek blog.

Why mercury in canned tuna is still legal

Along with this map is a listing of all the rivers and lakes throughout South Carolina. I suppose with all the creeks we have around here, there’s no way they could cover all of them (yet), but maybe that will be included down the road (hint, hint).

Still, the DHEC Fish Advisory website is a great resource for you to check out; another is the NOAA FishWatch site, which focuses on the sustainability of fisheries nationwide.

Here’s the Cooper River breakdown:

It gives suggested meal quantities and schedules per week & per month, and any restrictions that may currently be in place.

• Cooper River East Fork – from Quinby Creek to the “T”
• Cooper River West Fork – from Diversion Canal to the “T”
• The “T” to Bushy Park, and
• Downstream of Bushy Park.

For further information, contact: Bureau of Water: Phone: (803) 898-4300 – Fax: (803) 898-4215

From the Shem Creek blog.

“Fish Smart, Eat Smart” DHEC fish advisories

The subject of mercury levels in seafood came up again this morning while watching an episode on the Today Show. The guest was a doctor specializing in food & health. She mentioned that predator-type fish (shark, tuna, swordfish, etc.) are the ones that contain the highest levels of mercury. She also said that eating seafood in moderation is key.

The inspiration for their story was published by the NYT two days ago: High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi, one that immediately caught flak from the National Fisheries Institute.

From the Shem Creek blog.

Seafood mercury levels make headlines

Mercury hot spots in the Edisto River/Four Holes Swamp area and along the Little Pee Dee and Lynches rivers showed how some people who eat fish from these waterways have unusually high levels of mercury in their bodies.

It’s not a new story, but certainly one to be aware of. Also mentioned was that new coal plants may be coming. While it’s America’s most abundant domestic source of energy, besides the obvious, and more GREEN choices of solar, wind, etc., it’s also extremely hazardous to our health.

Nuclear energy provides the best alternative until alt-energy sources become more economical. Nuclear power plants are under more stringent safeguards since 3-Mile Island and Russia’s non-OSHA-enforced Chernobyl disaster, but I digress.

Below is a map from DHEC showing mercury warning and advisory sites across SC:

Looks like I need to check labels to see where my store bought seafood is coming from.

*UPDATE: Environmental groups critical of proposed power plant

From the Shem Creek blog.

Love seafood? How about a little mercury with that?