Health Consultation Exposure Investigation Report Evaluation of Fish Consumption from Lake Nacimiento KLAU/BUENA VISTA MINES PASO ROBLES, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA EPA FACILITY ID: CA1141190578 FEBRUARY 6, 2007 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Division of Health Assessment and Consultation Atlanta, Georgia 30333 Health Consultation: A Note of Explanation An ATSDR health consultation is a verbal or written response from ATSDR to a specific request for information about health risks related to a specific site, a chemical release, or the presence of hazardous material. In order to prevent or mitigate exposures, a consultation may lead to specific actions, such as restricting use of or replacing water supplies; intensifying environmental sampling; restricting site access; or removing the contaminated material. In addition, consultations may recommend additional public health actions, such as conducting health surveillance activities to evaluate exposure or trends in adverse health outcomes; conducting biological indicators of exposure studies to assess exposure; and providing health education for health care providers and community members. This concludes the health consultation process for this site, unless additional information is obtained by ATSDR which, in the Agency’s opinion, indicates a need to revise or append the conclusions previously issued. You May Contact ATSDR TOLL FREE at 1-800-CDC-INFO or Visit our Home Page at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov HEALTH CONSULTATION Evaluation of Fish Consumption from Lake Nacimiento KLAU/BUENA VISTA MINES PASO ROBLES, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA EPA FACILITY ID: CA1141190578 Prepared by: California Department of Health Services Under a Cooperative Agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Table of Contents Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Land Use Near the Lake ............................................................................................................. 4 Community Concerns ................................................................................................................. 5 Previous Fish Data from Lake Nacimiento................................................................................. 6 Exposure Investigation................................................................................................................ 7 Fish Sampling and Compositing................................................................................................. 7 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Chemical Analysis and Quality Assurance................................................................................. 8 Comparison of Organic Chemical Results to Screening Values ................................................ 9 Mercury Levels in Fish from Lake Nacimiento........................................................................ 10 Combining Data Sets ................................................................................................................ 11 Revaluation of the Fish Consumption Recommendations (Fish Advisory) at Lake Nacimiento ................................................................................................................................ 11 Safe Eating Guidelines for Lake Nacimiento ........................................................................... 12 ATSDR Child Health Initiative .................................................................................................... 13 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 14 Recommendations......................................................................................................................... 14 Public Health Action Plan............................................................................................................. 14 Actions Completed.................................................................................................................... 14 Actions Underway .................................................................................................................... 15 References..................................................................................................................................... 16 Preparers of Report ....................................................................................................................... 18 Certification .................................................................................................................................. 19 Appendix A. Glossary................................................................................................................... 20 Appendix B. Figures ..................................................................................................................... 25 Appendix C. Tables ...................................................................................................................... 34 Appendix D. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Exposure Investigation Workplan....................................................................................................................................... 40 Appendix E. Laboratory Data Sheets of the Pesticide, PCB, and PBDE Analyses from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Exposure Investigation Fish Sampling from Lake Nacimiento........................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix F. Laboratory Data Sheets of Mercury Analyses from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Exposure Investigation Fish Sampling from Lake Nacimiento ....................................................................................................................................................... 85 Appendix G. General Advice for Sport Fish Consumption .......................................................... 94 i Summary The watershed of Lake Nacimiento has several abandoned or inactive mercury mines. The Klau/Buena Vista Mines have been identified as the major source of mercury in Lake Nacimiento sediment. The water is safe to drink and recreate in. However, mercury in the sediment has been converted to methylmercury by organisms living in the sediment and then there has been bioaccumulation of methylmercury in fish in the lake. During an exposure investigation conducted by the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in February/March 2006, elevated levels of mercury were found in six species of fish from Lake Nacimiento. The mercury levels in the fish pose a health hazard. Based on a more limited assessment of organic pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in fish from Lake Nacimiento, these chemicals do not pose a health hazard from consumption of the fish. The information from the exposure investigation was combined with mercury tissue levels in Lake Nacimiento fish from two other sampling efforts conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, to provide the basis for new fish consumption recommendations for Lake Nacimiento. 1. ATSDR and CDHS recommend the county issue a revised interim fish advisory for Lake Nacimiento, containing the following advice: • Women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children 17 years and younger should not eat any fish meals of catfish, bluegill or other sunfish, carp, crappie, white bass or any black bass (spotted bass, largemouth bass). • Women beyond childbearing age and men should not eat any fish meals of white bass or any black bass (spotted bass, largemouth bass) • Women beyond childbearing age and men should eat no more than 1 fish meal/week, of catfish, bluegill or other sunfish, carp, crappie 2. ATSDR and CDHS recommend the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment should issue a state advisory for Lake Nacimiento. San Luis Obispo County are working with CDHS and OEHHA to implement the revising and reissuing of the fish advisory for Lake Nacimiento. CDHS will be conducting a number of outreach activities in order to educate anglers, nearby residents and visitors to the lake of the fish consumption recommendations. These outreach activities include: public service announcements on area Spanish radio stations, mailings to permanent and seasonal residents around the lake, postings at all boat launches around the lake, and postings in boat clubs and neighborhood associations newletters and websites, posting on the county and the CDHS web site, and conducting a train-the trainer for health educators and community health workers serving the English and Spanish-speaking communities. 2 Background Lake Nacimiento is located 17 miles northwest of Paso Robles in the northern part of San Luis Obispo County (Figure 1). The reservoir was formed by the construction of the Nacimiento Dam in 1957 (2). Monterey County Water