Subject: Clipping: News-Annual listing of state fish advisories (fwd)

From: Victor Guest <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 10:09:03 WST

From: [email-masked] (by way of Earle Cummings <[email-masked]>)
To: Multiple recipients of list <[email-masked]>

-----------------------------SNIP-------------------------------
While Anne-Marie and I were in Lybia we had a friend who was a food chemist
who was advising us what fish and food not to buy because of the levels
of mercury etc.
it doesn't seem to be happening here
        Vic
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EPA HAS RELEASED ANNUAL LISTING OF STATE FISH ADVISORIES/SCROLL FOR RELEASE:
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1998

EPA HAS RELEASED ANNUAL LISTING OF STATE FISH ADVISORIES; APPEALS TO STATES
FOR GREATER CONSISTENCY IN ADVISORY PROGRAMS

In June, EPA released its annual update of fish advisories issued 
primarily by states through December 1997.  The advisories apply to 
fish and shellfish obtained through sport, recreational, and 
subsistence activities.  The database includes all available 
information describing state, tribal and federally issued fish 
consumption advisories in the U.S. and 12 Canadian provinces and 
territories.  The number of advisories in the U.S. increased by five 
percent over 1996, rising by 125 in 1997 to a total of 2,299 across 
the nation.  The number of waterbodies under advisory represents 16.6 
percent of the nation's total lake acres and 8.2 percent of the 
nation's total river miles.  In addition, 100 percent of the Great 
Lakes and their connecting waters and a large portion of the nation's 
coastal waters remain under advisory.  The total number of advisories 
in the U.S. increased for three major contaminants (mercury, dioxin 
and DDT) but declined overall for PCBs, although 30 new advisories 
were issued for PCBs.  State fish advisories warn the public to avoid 
or to limit eating fish due to elevated levels of pollutants.  Each 
advisory is different: they may recommend no or limited consumption; 
may be targeted to men, women and/or children; and/or may apply to 
certain species of fish.  EPA cannot provide a hard copy written list 
of fish advisories.  Consumers should contact their local health 
departments for specific local advisory information.  A five-page fact 
sheet generally describing the program is available by faxing a 
request to EPA's Fish Contamination Program at 202-260-9830, or by 
calling Jeff Bigler at 202-260-1305.  On June 12, Vice President Gore 
announced a new fish advisory Internet web site:  
http://www.epa.gov/ost/fish.  The factsheet and the listing is 
available from the web site, currently for downloading only.  The 
listing also is available free of charge on 3.5-inch diskettes (EPA-
823-C-98-002) from EPA's National Center for Environmental 
Publications and Information, 11029 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 
45242, phone:  800-490-9198 or fax:  513-489-8695.  In July, EPA sent 
a letter to the states' health, environmental, and fisheries agencies 
appealing for national consistency in their fish advisory programs, 
providing national guidance on consistency and inviting the states to 
a meeting in the Spring of 1999 to discuss consistency issues.  Copies 
of the letter are available from EPA by faxing a request to EPA's Fish 
Contamination Program at 202-260-9830 or by calling Jeff Bigler at 
202-260-1305.   

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