Is the fish you're eating contaminated?
State officials say some species near Seal Beach Pier are hazardous.
Jaimee Lynn Fletcher
Orange County Register
06/22/2009
SEAL BEACH – State officials are urging Orange County residents to take caution when eating local fish because they may be contaminated with harmful chemicals.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment this month released a health advisory saying 19 species of fish from Santa Monica Beach to the Seal Beach Pier have elevated levels of chemicals.
An environmental study found potentially unsafe levels of mercury, chlordane and PCBs and DDTs, man-made chemicals released in California sewer systems that were banned in the 1980s.
The study focused on sport fish, which are caught by local fishermen or individuals.
While PCBs and DDTs can be reduced by removing the skin and fat from various fish, there are no known techniques for eliminating mercury, according to the state agency.
The report stated that while most of the contaminated species are safe to eat in limited quantities, women younger than 45 and children up to age 17 are more sensitive to the toxic effects of the chemicals.
Five fish were labeled "do not eat" for children and women up to age 45, including barred sea bass, top smelt and white croaker, also known as kingfish.
