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PA EPA HAS RELEASED ANNUAL LISTING OF STATE FISH ADVISORIES; APPEALS TO STATES FOR GREATER CONSISTENCY IN ADVISORY PROGRAMS
Release Date: 07/31/98
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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: https://www.epa.gov/ost/fish. The fact sheet 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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