Reducing the health risks of sport fish

Journal Article · · Issues in Science and Technology; (United States)

OSTI ID:5324346

Foran, J A; Glenn, B S ^[1]

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1. George Washington Univ., Washington, DC (United States)

Part of the allure of sport fishing has always been the satisfaction of being able to provide a fresh, healthful meal directly from stream, lake, or ocean. Indeed, most fish and shellfish available in the US are wholesome and unlikely to cause illness. But a recently released Institute of Medicine report on seafood safety warns that consumers of sport fish are, as a group, second only to consumers of raw mollusks in terms of being at risk from consumption of environmental toxicants. In fact, sport fish, which account for one-fifth of the seafood eaten in the US, are not subject to federal health-based control. The extent and nature of sport fish contamination have been thoroughly evaluated in only a few regions, such as the Great Lakes basin. However, where monitoring of sport fish has occurred, contamination is frequently detected. Considerable exposure to toxic substances can occur through consumption of the contaminated fish. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated dioxins such as TCDD, chlorinated organic pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin, and toxaphene, and organic forms of some metals such as mercury are among the toxicants that occur in sport fish. And even when these substances occur in very low concentrations in water, they can collect in high concentrations in fish tissue through the process of bioaccumulation.

• OSTI ID: 5324346
• Journal Information: Issues in Science and Technology; (United States), Vol. 8:2; ISSN 0748-5492
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
DIOXIN
TOXICITY
FISHES
CONTAMINATION
FOOD CHAINS
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
PESTICIDES
RISK ASSESSMENT
WATER POLLUTION
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
VERTEBRATES
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology