Be careful what fish you eat from the Hanford Reach

Be careful about what fish you eat from the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, said the Washington State Department of Health.

It expanded fish consumption advice already issued for other stretches of rivers and lakes in the state on Wednesday, saying people should limit the amount they eat of several types of fish caught near the Tri-Cities.

Mercury and PCBs — polychlorinated biphenyls — are the issue.

Even though the advisory is for 150 miles of river from the Interstate 90 bridge near Vantage to the McNary Dam, much of which runs through the Hanford nuclear reservation, the state has not placed blame on the nuclear site.

“PCBs are the primary driver of fish advisories across the state and most of the country,” said Dave McBride, toxicologist and the lead for the state’s fish advisory program.

Mercury is spread worldwide in the atmosphere, primarily from burning coal, McBride said.

The new state recommendation is based on data collected for the Department of Energy, which looked for contaminants upriver from Hanford, near Hanford and down river from Hanford, finding not much difference among levels, McBride said.

The new guidelines for eating fish caught in the 150-mile section of river include:

▪  Never eat northern pikeminnow, a recommendation in effect statewide.

▪  No more than one meal per month of carp, mountain whitefish and white sturgeon.

▪  No more than two meals a month of bridgelip sucker, largemouth bass and walleye.

▪  No more than four meals per month of smallmouth bass.

▪  Healthy choices include salmon, shad, steelhead and lamprey.

The DOE study used by the state looked at a wide range of contaminants in fish, including radioactive contaminants, a variety of metals, pesticides and flame retardants.

The Department of Health said that based on the federal data, only PCBs and mercury have been identified as a concern in Hanford Reach fish.

The state now is reviewing other data for fish contamination from north of the Interstate 5 bridge near Vantage upriver to the Grand Coulee Dam.

It already knows that some tributaries feeding the Columbia, including the Wenatchee River, have fish with PCB and mercury contamination.

Eating fish is still encouraged as part of a healthy diet, according to the state Department of Health. It encourages two seafood meals per week to provide omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent heart disease and stroke and to possibly relieve depression and decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

However, it’s best to choose fish from a variety of sources and fish that is low in contaminants. Contaminants can be reduced by removing skin and fat before cooking.

Fish species that eat other fish, are long-lived or have higher fat content to store PCBs may have greater levels of contamination. Fish, such as salmon, that spend part of their life in the ocean and fish, such as trout, that eat insects may have lower levels of the contaminants identified in the Hanford Reach area.

PCBs and mercury that accumulate in fish can also build up in the human body.

Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, children and those who eat more fish than the general population are most at risk of health impacts from mercury and PCBs, according to the Department of Health.

Mercury can harm the brain, kidneys and heart. In children it can cause lifelong learning or behavioral issues.

PCBs, man-made chemicals used in electrical transformers, were banned in 1977 but stay in the environment for a long time, according to the Department of Health.

PCBs may cause cancer, affect immune and reproductive systems, or cause learning and behavioral issues.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Be careful what fish you eat from the Hanford Reach."