2008 Fish Consumption Advisory Released

NEWS RELEASE
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
RSA Tower 201 Monroe Street, Suite 914 Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone 334-206-5300 Fax 334-206-5520
www.adph.org


Alabama Department of Public Health issues 2008 Fish Consumption Advisories

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Neil L. Sass, Ph.D.
(334) 206-5973







Concern about protecting the public from possible health exposure to mercury from
eating fish led to the issuance of several new fish consumption advisories for bodies of
water in Alabama, while one other advisory was removed. The quality of water, based upon
the levels of contaminants in fish from the waters in Alabama, generally continues
improvements made in recent years.

The Alabama Department of Public Health annually updates fish consumption
advisories based on data collected the preceding fall by the Alabama Department of
Environmental Management.

ADEM collected samples of specific fish species for analysis from various
waterbodies throughout the state during the fall of 2007. The Alabama Department of Public
Health assessed the analytical results to determine whether any of the tested contaminants
in the fish may give rise to potential human health effects.

Fish consumption advisories are issued for specific waterbodies and specific species
taken from those areas. In reservoirs, advisories apply to waters as far as a boat can be
taken upstream in a tributary, that is, to full pool elevations.

Beginning with the 2007 advisories the Department of Public Health adopted a
contaminant level for mercury in fish that would protect those who might consider eating
more than one fish meal per week. The new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
standards are four times more protective. Newly issued advisories will be represented as the
safe number of meals of that fish that can be eaten in a given period of time, such as meals
per week, meals per month or no consumption. A meal portion consists of 6 ounces of
cooked fish or 8 ounces of raw fish.

All advisories previously issued using Food and Drug Administration guidelines
remain in effect for this year (2008) and other advisories have been updated to reflect the
EPA consumption levels.

New consumption advisories were issued for the 12 bodies of water, locations or
species described here:

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New Advisories for 2008

Choccolocco Creek – Calhoun County
In the vicinity of Boiling Springs Road bridge crossing
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level– Two meals per month
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Choccolocco Creek - Talladega County
In the vicinity of County Road 399 bridge
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
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Choctawhatchee River – Geneva County
Entire river
Spotted bass, Redear sunfish
Contaminant –Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
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Frank Jackson Lake - Covington County
Lightwood Knot Creek, Frank Jackson Lake lake-wide, Opp
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
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Lake Jackson - Covington County
Lake Jackson located on the Alabama/Florida state line at Florala
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
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Lewis Smith Reservoir - Cullman County
Ryan Creek, Lewis Smith Reservoir in the vicinity of Cullman County Road 222 bridge
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
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Lewis Smith Reservoir - Winston County
Rock Creek, Lewis Smith Reservoir in vicinity of Little Crooked Creek and Rock Creek
Marina, approximately 5 miles upstream from Sipsey Fork
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
Lewis Smith Reservoir mouth of Clear Creek, mouth of Butler Creek
Contaminant - Mercury
Consumption Level - 1 meal per month
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North River - Tuscaloosa County
Upstream of Lake Tuscaloosa, immediately upstream of Bull Slough Road
Largemouth bass

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Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
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Pea River – Geneva County
Entire river
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
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Sepulga River - Escambia County
Sepulga River upstream of Conecuh River confluence
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month

Lake Tuscaloosa - Tuscaloosa County
Largemouth bass
All species
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month

A No Consumption Advisory was removed for Atlantic croaker, striped bass and
speckled trout taken from the Three Mile Creek downstream from the Southern Railroad
trestle to the confluence with the Mobile River in Mobile County. Sample results indicate the
levels of chlordane in these fish have been below advisory levels for several sampling
seasons and the fish are safe to consume.

Fish from the following sites were analyzed and found to contain no contaminants at
levels that required posting of advisories. Fish from these bodies of water can be consumed
with no restrictions: Alabama River (Monroe and Dallas counties); Bankhead and Holt
reservoirs (Tuscaloosa County); Black Warrior Locust Fork, Village and Valley creeks
(Jefferson County); Black Warrior, Mulberry Fork and Lost Creek (Walker County); Big
Yellow Creek (Tuscaloosa County); Cahaba River (Bibb and Shelby counties); Demopolis
Reservoir (Marengo County); Tombigbee River (Choctaw County) and Warrior Lake
(Tuscaloosa County).


Fish were analyzed for up to 25 different materials including contaminants in the water
(PCBs, including dioxins), pesticides (endosulfan, hexachlorobenzene, chlordane, lindane,
dieldrin, endrin, DDT and its breakdown products and congeners, heptachlors, Mirex,
chlorpyriphos and toxaphene), and heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury and selenium)
to which the fish may have been exposed.


In addition, fish were examined for body appearance, lipid content, age and weight. Fish
are good indicators of the health of a waterbody. Some contaminants could bioaccumulate
in fish. The contaminant could enter the food supply through either crustaceans or bottom
feeding fish in a given area. These species would be eaten by larger or more aggressive
species, thereby transferring the contaminant from the species consumed to the larger
species.

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The advice contained in this release and complete listings of the posted fish
consumption advisories (http://www.adph.org) are offered as guidance to individuals who
wish to eat fish they catch from various waterbodies throughout the state. No regulations
ban the consumption of any of the fish caught within the state, nor is there a risk of an acute
toxic episode that could result from consuming any of the fish containing the contaminants
for which the state has conducted analyses.


A No Consumption Advisory issued for any species is interpreted to mean that the fish
sampled have been analyzed to show the presence of a contaminant in excess of advisory
levels. Consumption of any fish of this type from a specific waterbody may place the
consumer at risk for harm from the contaminant. If an advisory had been issued for
largemouth bass and not for channel catfish or black crappie, it would be advised that
individuals should eat no largemouth bass, but consumption of channel catfish or black
crappie is permissible without endangering health.



The intent of a Limited Consumption Advisory is for women of childbearing age and
children (less than 15 years of age) to refrain from consumption of any fish indicated under
this advisory. All other individuals should limit their consumption of the particular species to
one meal per month.


For example, the FDA tolerance level for PCBs is calculated to protect people who
consume one meal of fish a month throughout their lifetime. Individuals who eat these fish
more frequently or for many years place themselves at greater risk. Individuals who eat
these fish only once each month or less frequently are at less risk.

PCBs are listed by EPA as "probable human carcinogens." This listing is used for
chemicals that have been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals but have not been
shown to cause cancer in humans. PCBs have also been associated with a skin disorder
known as chloracne as well as changes in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in human
blood.

Women of childbearing age and children should not consume any of these fish on
which a Limited or No Consumption Advisory exists.

The following advisories, issued in previous years, remain in effect:

Subsequent sampling and analysis render the advisories in the meal per month format.

BODY OF WATER / PORTION / TYPE OF ADVISORY / CONTAMINANT
(See notes at end of table.)

Bear Creek Reservoir – Franklin County
Dam forebay area
Largemouth bass
Contaminant –Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
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Big Escambia Creek – Escambia County
At the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Bridge Crossing
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury

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Consumption level – One meal per month
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Bilbo Creek – Washington County
Upstream of the confluence with the Tombigbee River
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
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Blackwater River – Baldwin County
In the area between the mouth of the river and the pipeline crossing southeast of
Robertsdale
Largemouth bass
Contaminant - Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per two months (1/2 meal per month)
Blacktail redhorse
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
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Blackwater River – Escambia County
Between the County Road 4 bridge and the Alabama/Florida state line
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
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Bon Secour River – Baldwin County
Vicinity of County Road 10 Bridge
Contaminant – Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
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Cedar Creek – Houston County
Cedar Creek drainage from American Brass site near Headland tributary to Omussee Creek
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
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Claiborne Reservoir – Clarke, Monroe counties
Dam forebay area and in vicinity of Lower Peachtree Access Area, approximately River Mile
96 close to the intersection
of Clarke, Monroe and Wilcox counties
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
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Chickasaw Creek – Mobile County
Entire creek
Contaminant - Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
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Choccolocco Creek – Calhoun, Talladega counties
Entire length of creek from south of Oxford to Logan Martin Lake
Contaminant - PCBs
Do not consume any fish

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Cold Creek Swamp – Mobile County
From confluence of Cold Creek with the Mobile River west through the swamp
Contaminant - Mercury
Do not consume any fish
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Conecuh River – Escambia County
From Alabama/Florida state line to Sepulga River including Murder Creek and Burnt Corn
Creek tributaries
Contaminant - Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
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Coosa River – Calhoun, St. Clair, Talladega counties
Between Neely Henry Dam and Riverside
Contaminant - PCBs
Limited consumption of catfish over 1 pound
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Coosa River – St. Clair, Talladega counties
Between Riverside and Logan Martin Dam
Contaminant – PCBs
Do not consume striped bass
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Coosa River – Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega counties
Between Logan Martin Dam and the railroad tracks crossing the Coosa near Vincent
Contaminant - PCBs
Do not consume striped bass
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Coosa River – Chilton, Coosa, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega counties
Lay Lake between Logan Martin Dam and Lay Dam
Contaminant - PCBs
Do not consume striped bass
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Coosa River – St. Clair County
In upper Lay Reservoir approximately two miles downstream of Logan Martin Dam and one
half mile downstream from the Kelly Creek - Coosa River Confluence in the vicinity of
Ratcliff/Elliott Island.
Contaminant - PCBs
Limited consumption of spotted bass
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cowpen Creek – Baldwin County
Upstream of confluence with Fish River
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
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Escatawpa River – Mobile County
At U.S. Highway 98 bridge crossing approximately 1/10 mile upstream of Alabama /Miss.
State Line
Spotted Bass, Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per 2 months (or one-half meal per month) for spotted bass

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One meal per month for largemouth bass
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Fish River – Baldwin County
In vicinity of confluence with Polecat Creek approximately one mile upstream of County
Road 32 bridge
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per 2 months (or one-half meal per month)
Approximately two miles upstream of U.S. 98 Bridge in the vicinity of Waterhole Branch/Fish
River confluence just above the two islands
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
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Fowl River – Mobile County
Mobile County in vicinity of Muddy Creek confluence and Fowl River Road bridge
Largemouth bass
Contaminant - Mercury
Consumption level - 1/2 meal per month (one meal per two months)

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Gulf Coast – Baldwin, Mobile counties
Entire coast
Do not consume king mackerel over 39 inches
Contaminant - Mercury
Limited consumption of king mackerel under 39 inches
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Huntsville Spring Branch & Indian Creek – Madison County
From Redstone Arsenal to the Tennessee River
Contaminant - DDT
Do not consume smallmouth or bigmouth buffalofish
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Little Escambia Creek – Escambia County
In Escambia County at U.S. Highway 31/29 Bridge
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month for largemouth bass
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Mobile River – Mobile County
At and south of the confluence with Cold Creek
Contaminant - Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
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Perdido River – Baldwin County
Near confluence with Styx River in vicinity of U.S. Highway 90 Bridge crossing
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month for largemouth bass
Two meals per month for River Redhorse
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Polecat Creek – Baldwin County
Upstream of confluence with Fish River
Largemouth bass

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Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opossum Creek – Jefferson County
From the Pumping Station to the confluence with Valley Creek
Contaminant - Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
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Styx River – Baldwin County
Styx River near its confluence with Perdido River in vicinity of US 90 bridge crossing
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month for largemouth bass
Limited consumption of channel catfish
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Tensaw River – Baldwin County
Entire river
Contaminant - Mercury
Limited consumption of largemouth bass
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Valley Creek – Jefferson County
Around the confluence with Opossum Creek
Contaminant - Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
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Yellow River – Covington County
At County Road 4 bridge crossing approximately 1.5 miles upstream of
Alabama/Florida line
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month for Largemouth bass
- One meal per month for Spotted bass
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* Everyone should avoid eating the species of fish listed in the defined area.

** A Limited Consumption Advisory states that women of reproductive age and children less
than 15 years old should avoid eating certain fish from these areas. Other people should
limit their consumption of the particular species to one meal per month. A meal is considered
to be 6 ounces of cooked fish or 8 ounces of raw fish.








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7/21/08

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