Mercury contamination found in some Wiregrass fish

Eating large amounts of some Wiregrass fish could pose a health risk to children.

The Alabama Department of Public Health has updated its list of fish consumption advisories, and five Wiregrass water bodies have been identified as containing mercury-contaminated fish.

But don’t put up your fishing poles just yet.

The state’s toxicologist says only three groups of people are at risk from mercury consumption—women of child-bearing age, pregnant women and children at or below age 15.

“The whole focus is on children,” said Dr. Neil L. Sass. “Women of childbearing age, if they had mercury-contaminated fish, when they become pregnant, some of that mercury might become mobilized and sent to the fetus. For pregnant women, the mercury can go through the placenta into the fetus. And children, of course, would be directly exposed. This is aimed at those three populations primarily, so it doesn’t apply to me or you at all, (but) we feel better to be prepared
and put out the advisory.”

Sass said there is no way to get mercury out of a fish, which is why the department issues the advisories.

“Once mercury gets in a fish, it stays in the fish. It stays in the tissue, so you can’t even cook it out,” he said.

So where does all that mercury come from? Mother nature, mostly.

“Mercury’s a naturally occurring metal. We’re not talking about an acute toxic event. Mercury’s been there forever,” Sass said. “Another part of it comes from farming fossil fuels, because mercury is in soil, so it gets taken into trees, and trees are burned for wood or whatever at various plants. That’s released into the stacks, gets into atmosphere and can be deposited anywhere in the world through rain.”

Though companies like Alabama Power take measures to reduce mercury emissions, Sass believes the effects to be negligible.

“I doubt the impact is measurable. We’re talking mercury deposits from all over the world, whether it be through rain or some contact with water,” Sass said.

Wiregrass counties find themselves on the advisory list largely because of their proximity to the southern part of the state, where mercury tends to accumulate in greater concentration.

“There’s actually a lot higher levels of naturally occurring mercury in soil down by Mobile than in other parts of state,” Sass said.

The list only includes certain species of fish and certain areas of some water bodies, because only certain species pose a risk to humans. It all goes back to the food chain.

“When we look for mercury in fish, we start with something like a largemouth bass, because it is a top predatory species,” Sass said. “If the largemouth bass comes out clean, there wouldn’t be any danger for those below. The more it’s passed up the chain, the more it’s concentrated, so that the crappie that eat the crayfish has what was already in the crappie plus what the crayfish had, then the bass eats the croppy, so it gets what it had and what the others had. Some fish we’re not that worried about, like the blugill and some of the crappies. They grow so fast, they don’t have a chance to bioaccumulate.”

Sass said the advisories shouldn’t deter people from eating fish. In fact, he recommends it.

“I’m a big advocate of consuming fish,” he said. “It’s good nutrition, low calorie, low fat. My advice is that people eat fish, but eat fish advisedly. These advisories are put out talking about mercury and other contaminents in commercially caught fish in Alabama, it does not apply to fish at restaurants or grocery stores. Those are regulated federally.”

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Fish consumption advisories for Wiregrass

Mercury contamination:

Choctawhatchee River, Geneva County
Entire river
Spotted bass, Redear sunfish
Recommended consumption: two meals per month

Frank Jackson Lake, Covington County
Lightwood Knot Creek, Frank Jackson Lake, Opp
Largemouth bass
Recommended consumption: one meal per month

Lake Jackson, Covington County
Lake Jackson at Florala
Largemouth bass
Recommended consumption: one meal per month

Pea River, Geneva County
Entire river
Largemouth bass
Recommended consumption: two meals per month

Cedar Creek, Houston County
Cedar Creek drainage from American Brass site near Headland tributary to Omussee Creek
Largemouth bass
Recommended consumption: two meals per month

Mercury consumption can lead to: Developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, brain cell development
Most hazzardous to: Women of child-bearing age, pregnant women, children under 15