Fish Contaminated With Mercury and PCBs At East Bay Reservoir

LAMORINDA, CA — Fish caught from an East Bay reservoir could contain mercury or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), prompting a health advisory from the state.

The advisory was issued today for fish caught from Lafayette Reservoir, according to the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The advisory names rainbow trout, channel catfish, goldfish and black bass.

OEHHA director Lauren Zeise said in a statement, "By following our guidelines for fish caught at Lafayette Reservoir, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption."

The guidelines are specific to Lafayette Reservoir, based on tests health officials conducted of fish caught there.

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The state recommends:

• Women from 18 to 45 years old and children from one to 17 years old may eat five servings per week of rainbow trout or three servings per week of channel catfish or one serving of black bass species. The two groups should avoid eating goldfish, according to environmental health officials.
• Women 46 years old and older and men 18 and older may eat seven servings per week of channel catfish or five servings per week of rainbow trout or two servings per week of goldfish or black bass species.

Developing children and fetuses are especially susceptible to the effects of mercury, which accumulates in fish as methylmercury and can cause brain and nervous system damage.

One serving is eight ounces before cooking the fish.

Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and is released into the environment though mining and burning coal. Environmental health officials said PCBs can cause health problems, including cancer. PCBs are industrial chemicals that were banned in the U.S. in the 1970s but persist for years in the environment. PCBs may be found in the environment because of spills, leaks and improper disposal.

Environmental health officials encourage people to eat only skinless portions of fish because PCBs accumulate in the skin, fat and some internal organs of fish. They said eating slightly more than the recommended amounts of fish is not likely to cause health troubles if it's done occasionally, such as on an annual vacation.

Lafayette Reservoir is owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District. It holds up to 1.4 billion gallons of water.

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— Bay City News contributed to this article; Image via East Bay MUD