What you can do: WHERE TO GET MORE Historic Gold Mining INFORMATION: To further minimize mercury exposure on the Indian Recycle compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL Cal EPA Dept. of Toxics Substances Reservation or curly bulbs) Control If a CFL breaks: http://dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/Mer Do not vacuum or sweep. cury/index.cfm Open a window and leave room for 15 minutes. Clean with damp paper towels & dispose of Got Mercury? bulb & towels in a sealed jar or sealed bag. Mercury Calculator Recycle CFL’s at Home Depot or at the Eureka www.gotmercury.org Transfer Station. If you find toxins in your home What is YTEP doing? contact: 1-800-CLEANUP (1-800-253-2687) YTEP is currently testing numerous aquatic species http://ccelearn.csus.edu/mercurylamp/c such as sturgeon, salmon, eels and many others on ontent/resources5.htm the Yurok Indian Reservation for numerous toxins or www.earth911.org including mercury and methyl mercury with fund- Some Information used: ing from YTEP’s EPA STAR grant. Results of this testing will be shared with the tribal membership WHAT TRIBAL MEMBERS NEED Indian Environmental once the results are collected & finalized. TO KNOW TO PROTECT THEIR Alliance (CIEA) www.cieaweb.org HEALTH AND THE

ENVIRONMENT WHERE TO GET MORE University of Wisconsin Extensions INFORMATION: www.mercuryinschools.uwex.edu/curri Gold mining was once prevalent on the Yurok Tribe Environmental Program (YTEP) culum/hg_in_env.htm Yurok Indian Reservation. (as seen in the (707) 482-1822 photo above.) The picture above is www.yuroktribe.org/departments/ytep USGS Mercury Contamination from “Lord’s Hydraulic Mine” on Weitchpec Historical Gold Mining in California bar. Although gold mining stopped dec- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assess- http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3014/ ades ago, some environmental contami- ment (OEHHA) nation still exists. Safe eating guidelines: local advisories & fish con- Got Mercury? sumption benefits Mercury Calculator www.oehha.ca.gov/fish.html www.gotmercury.org

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) California is haunted by Gold Rush National store-bought fish consumption advice legacy of toxic mercury www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advisory.html http://forests.org/ Environmental News Network Yurok Tribe Environmental Environmental Health Investigations Branch Ca. August 16, 2002 John Krist Program-(YTEP) Dept. of Health Services (707) 482-1822 www.ehib.org Printedrecycledon paper P.O. Box 1027 Klamath, CA. 95548 Humboldt State University Library www.yuroktribe.org/departments/ytep http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ ft038n96s5/?brand=calisphere

What is the environmental threat What is Bioaccumulation? What you can do: from Historic Gold Mining? Gold mining was once widespread throughout Bioaccumulation occurs when small sized contami- Eat fish safely the Klamath-Trinity Mountains from the mid- nants such as methyl mercury are ingested by small Avoid large predatory fish such as Tuna. 1800’s up to the 1950’s. Gold was extracted plants or animals. These small plants or animals are Fortunately, studies have shown that wild using mercury (quick silver). A typical hy- then eaten by a larger animal such as a small fish. caught salmon has very low levels of mer- draulic mine used hundreds of pounds of mer- This small fish then absorbs all the mercury that was cury contamination and is a healthy tradi- cury (Hg) per month, and it’s estimated that taken up by the plant over it’s entire life. A larger tional food. 10-30% of mercury used was deposited in fish can then eat the smaller fish and absorb the • Mercury is stored in the entire fish. You nearby gravels and waterways. Mercury is a methyl mercury from the smaller fish and the plant cannot clean the head guts, fat and skin very heavy metal that sinks in water and takes too. This process continues up the food chain and to get rid of it. Other toxins, like PCBs a very long time to break down. Mercury was can result in an organism such as a large fish like a may be stored there so trimming these also mined in the Basin above tuna having a higher concentration of the contami- off is recommended. Trinity Reservior. Mined mercury was also nant than the surrounding water. • Check fish you plan to eat at the EPA called cinnabar. and OEHHA websites. You can also visit a mercury calculator website such What is Methyl Mercury ? as the one at www.gotmercury.org. Two types of mercury from gold mining: Mercury (Hg) Bioaccumulation in Humans Do not eat fish caught from Trinity The diagram below illustrates how mercury (Hg) Lake. California has issued a mercury Elemental mercury which was heavily concentration increases up the food chain. warning for Trinity Lake fish. used in gold mining and can also be found in older thermometers. Methyl mercury is created when elemen- tal mercury is converted by bacteria into organic mercury. Methyl mercury can be eaten or absorbed by bacteria & other organisms; then magnify up the food chain

Why you should care about Mercury and Photo by Matt Mais Methyl-Mercury. What is a serving size? At low levels mercury can damage the A serving is 6 ounces of cooked fish, or brain, central nervous system, immune about the size and thickness of the palm system, kidneys, and heart. of your hand. Most Yurok People eat In pregnant women, mercury can cause much more than 6 permanent learning disabilities in the de- ounces per serving. For veloping fetus, even at very low levels. reference a pint is about 18.6 dry ounces. Children are particularly vulnerable. www.gotmercury.org calculator estimates a 150lb person can High levels of mercury are very rare, but From the University of Wisconsin Extension eat 120 ounces of fresh wild salmon in a at high levels, it can cause severe birth week. 120 oz = 20 six ounce servings. defects, neurological damage and death. With these estimates, adjust salmon con- sumption according to body weight.