October 2004 How Toxic Mercury Contaminates Fish in U.S. Waterways PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center Fishing for Trouble How Toxic Mercury Contaminates Fish in U.S. Waterways October 2004 Fishing for Trouble 1 Acknowledgements Written for Clear The Air by Zachary Corrigan, Staff Attorney and Clean Air Advocate with PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. Clear The Air is a joint project of the Clean Air Task Force, National Environmental Trust, and the National Association of State PIRGs and affiliated organizations. © 2004, PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center Cover photo courtesy of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, www.rbff.org. The author would like to thank the Environmental Protection Agency for providing the data used in this report; Michael Bender with the Mercury Policy Project for his great work on this issue throughout the years, including earlier versions of this report; Martha Keating with the Clean Air Task Force, John Stanton and Jennifer Choe with National Environmental Trust, Angela Ledford and Jonathan Banks with Clear The Air, and Holly Binns with Florida PIRG for their suggestions; and Alison Cassady for her insightful research assistance and editing. This report is made possible with funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts. To receive a copy of this report, visit our website or send a check for $30 made payable to PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center to the following address: PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center 1334 Walnut Street, 6th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 732-5897 [email protected] www.pennenvironment.org Fishing for Trouble 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary....................................................................................................................4 Mercury Contamination of Fish ..................................................................................................7 Health Effects of Mercury Exposure...........................................................................................................7 Mercury in Commercially-Caught Fish .......................................................................................................8 Mercury in Recreationally-Caught Fish......................................................................................................9 Report Findings: A Growing Number of Waterways Under Advisory .....................................10 Statewide Advisories..................................................................................................................................10 Advisories on Our Lakes............................................................................................................................10 Advisories on Our Rivers............................................................................................................................12 Coasts under Advisory...............................................................................................................................15 Public Lands under Advisory.....................................................................................................................15 Safe Eating Guidelines..............................................................................................................................17 Mercury Contamination Threatens Recreational Fishing..........................................................18 Addressing the Problem at the Source......................................................................................20 The Bush Administration’s Flawed Plan ...................................................................................................21 Conclusion and Recommendations ..........................................................................................22 Methodology ............................................................................................................................23 Appendices Appendix A. High Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Seafood Not Covered by FDA’s 2004 Consumption Advisory, 1978-2003.................................................................................................25 Appendix B. State-by-State Mercury Advisory Totals and Money Spent on Recreational Fishing ...............................................................................................................................................................26 Appendix C. Mercury Air Emissions from Power Plants by State or Territory, 2002.......................28 Appendix D. Mercury Air Emissions by Power Plant, 2002 ..................................................................29 Appendix E. Detailed Breakdown of Advisories by State ....................................................................43 End Notes ....................................................................................................................................i Fishing for Trouble 3 Executive Summary oxic mercury, largely emitted from coal- mercury....”a Tburning power plants, is polluting waterways, contaminating the fish we eat, Statewide Advisories and posing a serious threat to public health. More and more states are issuing statewide State and tribal health departments issue fish advisories, or advisories covering all of their consumption advisories in order to warn inland freshwater lakes and/or rivers for at people to limit or avoid consumption of least one species of fish. In 2003, 21 states contaminated fish species from local rivers, issued statewide advisories for their inland lakes, and other waterbodies. This report lakes and/or rivers (Connecticut, Florida, details the active fish consumption advisories Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, issued by the states in 2003 due to mercury Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, pollution in local waterways and finds that Montana, North Dakota, New Hampshire, fish in a large percentage of America’s New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode lakes, rivers, and coastal waters are not safe Island, Vermont, Washington, and for unlimited consumption. Wisconsin). New to this list are Montana and Washington, which for the first time in 2003 Mercury is a dangerous toxic metal, issued statewide advisories for all inland especially for children. Exposure to mercury waterways, and Wisconsin, which added a can cause attention and language deficits, statewide advisory on all of its rivers. impaired memory, and impaired visual and motor function in children. Scientists at the Advisories on Our Lakes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) A growing number of our nation’s lakes are estimate that one in six women of under mercury advisory. In 2003: childbearing age in the U.S. has levels of mercury in her blood sufficiently high to put • Active mercury advisories covered at least 630,000 of the four million babies born each 13.1 million acres of lakes (including year at risk of health problems due to statewide advisories), or 32% of all lake mercury exposure. acres. The number of lake acres under advisory for mercury increased by 6%, up Our analysis of EPA data on state fish from at least 12.4 million acres in 2002. consumption advisories reveals that mercury advisories cover a greater area than ever • Ten states (Arizona, California, Idaho, before. In 2003, 44 states had active Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New mercury consumption advisories for local York, South Dakota, and Washington) waterways compared with only 27 states in increased the extent of their lakes under 1993 and 39 states in 1997. This is a 63% advisory. increase in 11 years. The precipitous increase in mercury advisories over the last • Nine states (Arizona, California, Idaho, decade demonstrates that mercury is Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, pervasive in our environment. As EPA North Dakota, and South Carolina) issued Administrator Mike Leavitt has said, “The more waters we monitor, the more we find a Michael Janofsky, “E.P.A. Says Mercury Taints Fish Across U.S.,” New York Times, 25 August 2004. Fishing for Trouble 4 additional consumption restrictions for their and other contaminants cover more than lakes, strengthening advisories already in 70% of the coastal waters of the contiguous place by adding a new fish to the advisory, 48 states. EPA estimates that 92% of the warning more people to limit their fish Atlantic coast and 100% of the Gulf coast consumption, or advising people to eat less was under advisory in 2003. of the fish under advisory. • Twelve states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, • Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, mercury advisories covering the Great Lakes Mississippi, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and connecting waterways. These advisories South Carolina, and Texas) have issued cover 2,334 miles of Great Lake coasts and statewide mercury advisories for their entire connecting rivers and estuaries on Lake Erie, coastal areas for at least one species of fish. Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake In Maine, a tribal advisory for mercury Michigan. covers all fish and lobster along the state’s coast. Advisories on Our Rivers States are issuing advisories covering more • Six states (California, Delaware, Florida, and more miles of our rivers. In 2003: Georgia, South Carolina, and Washington) have issued specific estuarine advisories for • Active mercury advisories covered at least