Are Fish Consumption Advisories for the Great Lakes Adequately Protective against Chemical Mixtures?

Gandhi, Nilima; Drouillard, Ken G.; Arhonditsis, George B.; Gewurtz, Sarah B.; Bhavsar, Satyendra P.

doi:10.1289/ehp104

Cited by 42 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Contamination of fish in the Detroit River has a long history [21]. A large concern for local anglers are the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, and dioxins [22]. Some species of fish from the Detroit River contain high levels of contaminants and should not be eaten in any amount (catfish, carp), and others have consumption restrictions but can be eaten occasionally (rock bass, perch, etc.).…”

Section: Study Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of an Educational Campaign to Improve the Conscious Consumption of Recreationally Caught Fish

2019

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Consumption guidelines are a common way of improving conscious consumption behaviors in areas where game fish are known to contain contaminants. However, guideline information can be difficult to distribute, and effectiveness difficult to measure. To increase the distribution and effectiveness of guideline information for the Detroit River, an educational campaign was launched in 2010, which included distribution of pamphlets with consumption information, posting of permanent signs at popular fishing locations, and hiring River Walkers to personally communicate with anglers. In 2013 and 2015, we conducted in-person surveys of active shoreline anglers to determine the effectiveness of education and outreach efforts. Results from the survey indicated that 55% of anglers were aware of the guidelines in 2013, and by 2015 36% had communicated the information to family or friends. However, anglers were often unwilling to reduce consumption of popular game species, despite high contaminant levels. Encouragingly, black anglers were most likely to supplement their diet with species lower in contaminants. Our results suggest that utilizing multiple educational strategies including reaching out directly to individual anglers may improve conscious consumption behavior among the targeted population, providing a template for educational campaigns to successfully target vulnerable populations.

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Section: Study Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of an Educational Campaign to Improve the Conscious Consumption of Recreationally Caught Fish

2019

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“…Contamination of fish in the Detroit River has a long history [18]. A large concern for local anglers are the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, and dioxins [19]. Some species of fish from the Detroit River contain high levels of contaminants and should not be eaten in any amount (catfish, carp), and others have consumption restrictions but can be eaten occasionally (rock bass, perch, etc.).…”

Section: Study Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Conscious Consumption of Fish Through an Educational Campaign on the Detroit River (Michigan, USA)

Ca¹,

Manente²,

Kashian³

2018

Preprint

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Consumption guidelines are a common way to improve conscious consumption behaviors in areas where game fish are known to contain contaminants. However, guideline information can be difficult to distribute, and effectiveness difficult to measure. To increase the distribution and effectiveness of guideline information for the Detroit River, an educational campaign was launched in 2010, which included distribution of pamphlets with consumption information, posting of permanent signs at popular fishing locations, and hiring River Walkers to personally communicate with anglers. In 2013 and 2015, we conducted in-person surveys of active shoreline anglers to determine the effectiveness of education and outreach efforts. Results from the survey indicated that 55% of anglers were aware of the guidelines in 2013, and by 2015 36% had communicated the information to family or friends. However, anglers were often unwilling to reduce consumption of popular game species, despite high contaminant levels. Encouragingly, black anglers were most likely to supplement their diet with species lower in contaminants. Our results suggest that utilizing multiple educational strategies including reaching out directly to individual anglers may improve conscious consumption behavior among the targeted population, providing a template for educational campaigns to successfully target vulnerable populations.

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“…Fish consumption advisories are calculated separately for each contaminant present in fish tissue. The contaminant which yields the most health-protective estimate of how much fish an individual can safely consume dictates the advisory published for a given waterbody [39]. Advisories for methylmercury are typically applied on a state-wide basis since atmospheric transport of mercury leads to wide-spread geographic distribution of methylmercury [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Recreational Fish Consumption Advisories Across the USA

Cleary

Romano

Chen

et al. 2021

Curr Envir Health Rpt

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Purpose of Review Our comparative analysis sought to understand the factors which drive differences in fish consumption advisories across the USA — including exposure scenarios (acute and chronic health risk, non-cancer and cancer health endpoints), toxicity values (reference dose, cancer slope factor, acute tolerance level), and meal size and bodyweight assumptions. Recent Findings Fish consumption provides essential nutrients but also results in exposure to contaminants such as PCBs and methylmercury. To protect consumers from the risks of fish contaminants, fish consumption advisories are established, most often by state jurisdictions, to estimate the amount of a certain fish species a person could consume throughout their lifetime without harm. However, inconsistencies in advisories across the USA confuse consumers and undermine the public health goals of fish advisory programs. To date, no rigorous comparison of state and national fish consumption advisories has been reported. Summary Our work identifies discrepancies in key assumptions used to derive risk-based advisories between US states, reflecting differences in the interpretation of toxicity science. We also address the implications for these differences by reviewing advisories issued by contiguous states bordering two waterbodies: Lake Michigan and the Lower Mississippi River. Our findings highlight the importance of regional collaboration when issuing advisories, so that consumers of self-caught fish are equipped with clear knowledge to make decisions to protect their health.

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Are Fish Consumption Advisories for the Great Lakes Adequately Protective against Chemical Mixtures?

Cited by 42 publications

References 26 publications

Evaluation of an Educational Campaign to Improve the Conscious Consumption of Recreationally Caught Fish

Evaluation of an Educational Campaign to Improve the Conscious Consumption of Recreationally Caught Fish

Improving the Conscious Consumption of Fish Through an Educational Campaign on the Detroit River (Michigan, USA)

Comparison of Recreational Fish Consumption Advisories Across the USA

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