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MERCURY ADVISORY

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  scotone 
#1 ·
MERCURY ADVISORY: The state health department has added two popular southern Colorado reservoirs to the growing list of waters where fish contain elevated mercury levels.

Health officials issued fish-consumption advisories for Trinidad Lake, in Trinidad, and Horseshoe Reservoir, in Lathrop State Park in Huerfano County.

The Trinidad advisory recommends that pregnant or nursing women, or women planning on becoming pregnant, and children 6 and younger, eat no walleyes or saugeyes larger than 18 inches.

A similar advisory at Horseshoe Reservoir includes sauger and smallmouth bass.

Others should eat no more than one meal per month of the 18-inch or longer fish. Details are on the agency's Web site, www.CDPHE.state.CO.US/wq/. Under Programs, click on Fish Consumption Advisories.

Front Range waters also on the list are Rocky Mountain Lake (46th Avenue, in Denver) and Brush Hollow, Horsetooth and Sanchez reservoirs.
 
#2 ·
i would like the dow to put out a list of lakes that have been tested and found to be uncontaminated

seems like each year they will list a few morewith restrictions makes you wonder if your favorite source for walleye fillets is next on the list

thanks for the up date ePiC
 
#3 ·
The DOW doesnt test the fish try emailing the Health Department and asking... but Im sure its always changing, even if they find mercury in some fish it might not be at an unsafe level yet then in a couple years its unsafe.
 
G
#5 ·
Mercury occurs both naturally in the earth's crust and as an industrial pollutant. When released into the air, mercury runs off into waterways -- lakes, streams and eventually oceans -- where bacteria can turn the mercury into a more toxic form called methylmercury. Over time, small amounts of methylmercury can build up in the tissues of certain fish that absorb the substance as they live in or swim through these waters. When humans consume these fish, they may ingest some methylmercury as well.

Do all fish contain methylmercury? While the FDA says nearly all fish contains trace amounts of methylmercury, the fish that accumulate the most tend to be the ones that live the longest and that feed on other fish. In general, the smaller and younger the fish, the less likely it is to have high levels of methylmercury; fish that feed on plants and small organisms are also less likely to be contaminated. The FDA's Web site includes information about mercury levels in various types of fish. Methylmercury can accumulate in freshwater sport fish as well as ocean and coastal fish, again depending on the fish's diet, age and the amount of pollution in its environment.

There is no way to visually detect if fish contains elevated levels of mercury.
 
#6 ·
TerDog said:
Didn't know that about Trinidad. How are the Merc levels high in the larger fish? And what about Trout? Are they affected too? Thanks ePIC
When they release a warning about one or two species of fish in a lake it means out of the fish sampled the only ones that contained high levels of mercury are the ones they listed.... however if they didnt catch any trout in the sampling (highly unlikely) they wont be on the list.
 
#8 ·
[quote="NightStalker" ]
Mercury occurs both naturally in the earth's crust and as an industrial pollutant.
[/quote]

As in when construction companies dump shat directly into the water supply. As in Cherry Creeks case. That is why they close the beach down every year at least once.

Blah. I won't eat anything caught out of there. But I know a few pilgrims that do though, and they seem fine.

For the most part anyway.
 
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