State wants more publicity for fish consumption warnings
6/19/2006, 5:08 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state wants to better inform people about health advisories related to fish consumption from the Saginaw watershed area, according to a preliminary report issued Monday.
The Michigan Department of Community Health asked 1,088 people who were fishing in the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw Bay, Saginaw River and Shiawassee River to complete surveys about their fish eating habits from March 2005 through March 2006.
The survey found that some people were eating species such as carp and catfish from the Tittabawassee and the Saginaw rivers that the health department advises against eating. These fish contain dioxins and PCBs at levels that could cause harmful health effects if eaten too often, the health department said.
The Tittabawassee River, for example, has high levels of dioxin downstream of a Dow Chemical Co. plant in Midland. The toxin is left over from processes dating back several decades. About 8 percent of survey respondents who fish the Tittabawassee said they ate catfish from the river.
Toxins are a concern in the other waterways because of different sources. And in some cases, the fish consumption advisories appear to not be followed as well.
About 20 percent of respondents fishing the Saginaw River, for example, said they ate catfish caught there.
"While survey results suggest there is a general awareness of the existence of the fish consumption advisory, many people are not using the advisory to the fullest extent," the Michigan Department of Community Health said in a press release.
The health department plans to work with Saginaw community groups to better inform residents about the fish consumption advisories.
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On the Net:
Michigan Department of Community Health: http://www.michigan.gov/mdch
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