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Fish and Blue Crab A Safer Way to Prepare Fish Solving the Problem Dioxin and PCBs are stored mainly in the fat In response to the dioxin and PCB problem, SEAFOOD CAUTION of seafood. You can reduce your exposure to the Texas Commission on Environmental these chemicals by using these techniques: Quality (TCEQ) and Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) initiated a total maximum • From fish, remove the skin, thin layer Fish and Blue Crab of fat under the skin, guts, belly fat, daily load (TMDL) project in the Houston Ship fat along the back, and the fatty dark Channel and Upper Galveston Bay to: SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION meat along the length of the filet. • Pinpoint sources of dioxin and PCBs. • Develop an action plan to reduce dioxin. • Bake or grill fish. Throw away ADVISORY cooking juices. The Houston Ship Channel Stakeholders Group is advising the TCEQ and H-GAC on this • Don’t use the whole fish, fat, skin, project. The group includes representatives from organs, or juices in soups or stews. government, industrial facilities, agriculture, • Don’t eat the soft green parts business, environmental, and community of blue crabs where toxins build up. interests in the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay watersheds. Cut away fat For More Information along the back Remove skin www.dshs.state.tx.us/seafood Cut 512-834-6757 out guts Cut out fatty dark meat http://galvbay.org/advocacy_seafood.html along the length of the filet Remove belly fat www.h-gac.com/dioxintmdl DO NOT EAT the skin, fat, and liver of fish and blue crabs from the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL You could be exposed to toxic chemicals. www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/ AND GALVESTON BAY 26-houston_group.html Seafood Consumption Advisory Potential Health Problems PCBs and Dioxin Have Been Found The Texas Department of State Health Services from Repeated Exposure in Blue Crabs and Fish* has issued seafood consumption advisories for • Increased cancer risks • Nerve disorders (motor skill problems) IN THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. • Immune system issues • Endometriosis and AND GALVESTON BAY • Liver damage • Adults should eat no more than irregular menstrual one eight-ounce meal per month of seafood • Thyroid disorders cycles from these areas. • Type 2 diabetes • Birth defects Areas of PCB and Dioxin Contamination • Women who are nursing, pregnant, or • Digestive tract issues • Reduced fertility who may become pregnant, and children • Child learning and • Fatigue and headaches under twelve years old, should not developmental defects Houston eat seafood from these areas. • Skin sores and rashes Baytown Anahuac Beach City Seafood May Contain Dioxin and PCBs Pasadena Shoreacres Dioxin is a term for a group of toxic chemicals Fish and Blue Crabs that May Nassau Contain Dioxin or PCBs Pearland Bay Galveston Bay found throughout the environment. Dioxin has Kemah no known constructive use and is a byproduct of • Fatty fish (like catfish) Dickinson certain industrial activities. Exhaust from vehicles, • Fish caught near industrial areas forest fires, and burning trash also release dioxin Alvin Texas City into the air. The glands and organs of fish and blue crab Galveston Liverpool caught in the Houston Ship Channel and Hitchcock PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are man-made Galveston Bay may contain high levels of chemicals. PCB production was banned in the contaminants and should not be eaten. 1970s, however, the chemicals continue to enter the environment through spills, leaks and improper disposal. Reduce Your Exposure to Toxins Dioxin and PCBs build up in fish as they filter • Eat fish from a variety of water bodies tainted sediment or water, or eat Species Affected to reduce risk of exposure to any one contaminated aquatic life forms. All Species of Fish and Blue Crab contaminant or group of contaminants. Exposure to Dioxin and PCBs is Dangerous All Catfish Species, Spotted Seatrout, • Eat a mix of different kinds of fish. and Blue Crab Dioxin and PCBs stay in humans and animals for • Eat smaller, younger fish. (Younger fish All Catfish Species and Spotted Seatrout years. Exposure occurs when people eat food with usually have less contaminants than dioxin and PCBs. Pregnant women and nursing larger, older fish.) mothers are especially susceptible and can pass the • Practice “catch and release” fishing. *According to The Texas Department of State Health Services contaminants on to their unborn or nursing babies..
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