| A WORLD OF TWISTED LOGIC
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has released the 2010 fish consumption advisory.
The advisory tells the public which fish to avoid or limit eating due to environmental toxins.
The 2010 sport fish consumption advisory is nearly identical to last years.
Bill Toomey, a program manager for environmental services for the Bureau for Public Health, says they took off an advisory specifically pertaining to the channel catfish in the Monongahela River.
There are still general advisories for all channel catfish throughout the state, as well as most species of bass, walleye, and other fish.
The warning is based on the high levels of both mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenylsâor PCBsâin West Virginia's waterways.
PCBs are toxic chemical compounds that were once used in florescent lights, paint and adhesives. They aren't manufactured anymore, but still exist in soil, air and water.
Mercury has always existed, but since humans began burning fossil fuels for energy, the amount of mercury has increased.
In West Virginia, three-fourths of the mercury air emissions come from coal-fired power plants.
In large amounts, both mercury and PCBs can cause serious problems in humans, especially in pregnant women and children who eat contaminated fish.
Officials say in an adult the health effects from mercury include things like difficulty concentrating, headaches, memory loss, usually short term memory loss, sensory problems, vision changes, numbness, especially around the lips and the fingertips.
In what critics called twisted logic, last May, West Virginia sought approval from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to loosen the state's standards on mercury in its waterways.
They said it was because a statewide survey showed that West Virginians were eating less fish than the national average, so mercury levels could afford to be higher.
The EPA approved this change.
Critics say their logic makes no sense, and that West Virginians would eat more fish if they weren't scared of being poisoned by mercury and PCBs.
While Bill Tomey says it's important to pay attention to the fish consumption advisories, one should also remember that fish is a great source of a lot of nutrients.
"We feel from the health department's side that eating fish is good for your health," he said.
The 2010 fish consumption advisory recommends that people fishing in West Virginia's waters limit their consumption of certain types of fish to only one meal a month.
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