Mercury in the fish we eat

Recent media accounts and local buzz about the fabulous striped bass fishing in Brewer is positive news for the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) and all organizations that have long fought to clean up the Penobscot River. To see our community enjoying this resource is wonderful.

As we celebrate the seasonal abundance of stripers, we can’t forget the long-term effects of the mercury pollution caused by atmospheric deposition and more than three decades of pollution from the closed HoltraChem plant. For more than 30 years, HoltraChem and the many previous operators that ran the chlor-alkali plant located in Orrington allowed tons of deadly mercury to enter the Penobscot River. Field work commissioned by MPA and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 1999 found elevated mercury levels extending from Orrington all the way to upper Penobscot Bay.

Today we have statewide health warnings stating “Mercury in Maine freshwater fish may harm the babies of pregnant and nursing mothers, and young children. Pregnant and nursing women, women who may get pregnant, and children under the age of 8 should not eat any freshwater fish from Maine’s inland waters.” The safe eating guidelines in Maine also state that for the same at risk populations no shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish should be eaten and for all of us no more than two meals a month of striped bass or blue fish.

On July 29 last year, MPA and NRDC won a citizen suit against HoltraChem and Mallinckrodt, the original operator of the chemical plant, to force a study that will determine where in the Penobscot River the mercury has gone and how it is affecting wildlife as well as cleanup options. Last September competing research plans were submitted by MPA, NRDC and Mallinckrodt to the court. Right now we are waiting for Judge Gene Carter to rule on which study or combination of studies will be implemented.

Though solid evidence suggests extensive effects on Penobscot River wildlife, people are also at great risk from Penobscot River mercury pollution. At the March 2002 trial, our human health expert, Dr. Phillipe Grandjean, testified that levels of mercury present in Penobscot River fish captured by Mallinckrodt’s own consultant contain enough mercury to make one fish meal an unacceptable risk to a pregnant woman’s baby. Such an alarming risk to people and the environment must not be allowed to persist.

Recently a scientific panel convened by the United Nations and the World Health Organization stated that methyl mercury, the most toxic form of this heavy metal, may be more dangerous to developing fetuses than health experts previously thought. Citing new studies, the Joint Expert Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants said that pregnant women should limit their weekly consumption of methylmercury to 1.6 micrograms (about one-millionth of a teaspoon) per kilogram of body weight – about half of its previous standard of 3.3 micrograms per kilogram of body weight.

The new recommendations are more reflective of the latest science on methylmercury exposure risks. While fish is a good source of protein, MPA urges caution when consuming fish with higher mercury levels. To put the new standard in context, a woman of childbearing age who weighs 132 pounds and eats 12 ounces of canned white albacore tuna per week would still exceed WHO recommendations by nearly two times.

Nearly all fish have some mercury. Striped bass like those being caught in Brewer tend to have a medium level, more mercury on average than a brook trout or landlocked salmon and less than smallmouth bass and pickerel. Pregnant and nursing women should be especially careful about eating fish that are known to have significant mercury levels.

The Maine outdoors is a tremendous legacy for us and Maine’s future generations to enjoy. Unfortunately, short sightedness and corporate greed have despoiled it. But by working together to eliminate the risks posed by mercury pollution, not only can we enjoy fishing for fun but also safely eating our catch.

Jesse Graham of Bar Harbor, a lifelong angler, is a community organizer for the Maine People’s Alliance.