People should feel free to eat more fish than previously recommended from waters contaminated with mercury and PCBs. But they should also heed new limits on consuming fish contaminated with a former 3M-made industrial chemical. That's the message of the state's latest fish consumption advisory, released Tuesday.
For more than 20 years, the state Department of Health's advisory has helped Minnesotans choose which species of fish to eat and how often in order to minimize their risks from contaminants in fish while gaining the many health benefits from eating fish.
After a former 3M chemical was detected in bluegill sunfish from Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis in 2006, the state began testing fish in metro lakes and rivers for a family of compounds called perfluorochemicals (PFCs).
Based on those results, the advisory indicates that for 14 metro lakes, at least one species of fish -- usually bluegills but also crappies and largemouth bass in some locations -- should be eaten no more than once a month or once a week, depending upon whether the consumer is an adult, child, or expecting a child.
But one fish consumption guideline was eased this year. Previous Health Department guidelines on mercury and PCBs advised consumers that they could choose a fish meal from one of two categories: once per week or once per month.
Now, the state Health Department is advising that it's fine to eat a fish meal from both.
For example, rather than limiting yourself to either a northern pike meal once a week or a sauger meal once a month from Rainy Lake, you can now have both.
"The health benefits of eating more fish are clear," said Pat McCann, an environmental health researcher for the department and coordinator of the fish consumption advisory. "Additional data and a thorough analysis show that this slight change will still be safe for people eating fish."
