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Review
. 2021 Jun;8(2):71-88.
doi: 10.1007/s40572-021-00312-w. Epub 2021 May 1.

Comparison of Recreational Fish Consumption Advisories Across the USA

Brittany M Cleary #  1 , Megan E Romano #  2 , Celia Y Chen #  3 , Wendy Heiger-Bernays #  4 , Kathryn A Crawford  5   6
Affiliations
Review

Comparison of Recreational Fish Consumption Advisories Across the USA

Brittany M Cleary et al. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Our comparative analysis sought to understand the factors which drive differences in fish consumption advisories across the USA - including exposure scenarios (acute and chronic health risk, non-cancer and cancer health endpoints), toxicity values (reference dose, cancer slope factor, acute tolerance level), and meal size and bodyweight assumptions.

Recent findings: Fish consumption provides essential nutrients but also results in exposure to contaminants such as PCBs and methylmercury. To protect consumers from the risks of fish contaminants, fish consumption advisories are established, most often by state jurisdictions, to estimate the amount of a certain fish species a person could consume throughout their lifetime without harm. However, inconsistencies in advisories across the USA confuse consumers and undermine the public health goals of fish advisory programs. To date, no rigorous comparison of state and national fish consumption advisories has been reported. Our work identifies discrepancies in key assumptions used to derive risk-based advisories between US states, reflecting differences in the interpretation of toxicity science. We also address the implications for these differences by reviewing advisories issued by contiguous states bordering two waterbodies: Lake Michigan and the Lower Mississippi River. Our findings highlight the importance of regional collaboration when issuing advisories, so that consumers of self-caught fish are equipped with clear knowledge to make decisions to protect their health.

Keywords: Fish consumption advisory; Methylmercury (MeHg); Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Self-caught fish; Target tissue concentration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a–b Target tissue concentration range corresponding to a one meal/month fish consumption advisory. a Methylmercury target tissue concentration range. GP: n = 35 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 7 states. Young children: n = 8 states. Overall SP: n = 8 states. Note: Wisconsin does not have an upper-bound limit for target tissue concentrations triggering a one meal/month advisory for the GP (most protective value indicated by triangle). b PCB target tissue concentration range. GP: n = 29 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 4 states. Young children: n = 5 states. Overall SP: n = 3 states. See Supplemental Table S1 for detailed information about abstracted and calculated values
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a–b Target tissue concentration range corresponding to a one meal/month fish consumption advisory. a Methylmercury target tissue concentration range. GP: n = 35 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 7 states. Young children: n = 8 states. Overall SP: n = 8 states. Note: Wisconsin does not have an upper-bound limit for target tissue concentrations triggering a one meal/month advisory for the GP (most protective value indicated by triangle). b PCB target tissue concentration range. GP: n = 29 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 4 states. Young children: n = 5 states. Overall SP: n = 3 states. See Supplemental Table S1 for detailed information about abstracted and calculated values
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a–b Most protective target tissue concentration corresponding to a zero consumption fish consumption advisory. a Methylmercury. GP: n = 41 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 7 states. Young children: n = 8 states. Overall SP: n = 12 states. b PCBs. GP: n = 34 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 4 states. Young children: n = 5 states. Overall SP: n = 3 states. See Table S1 for detailed information about abstracted and calculated values
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a–b Most protective target tissue concentration corresponding to a zero consumption fish consumption advisory. a Methylmercury. GP: n = 41 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 7 states. Young children: n = 8 states. Overall SP: n = 12 states. b PCBs. GP: n = 34 states. Women of childbearing age: n = 4 states. Young children: n = 5 states. Overall SP: n = 3 states. See Table S1 for detailed information about abstracted and calculated values
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a–b Differences in advisories issued by states bordering a single waterbody. a Map of Lake Michigan showing (1) Wisconsin, (2) Michigan, (3) Indiana, and (4) Illinois. Text within each map indicates the fish consumption advisory issued for a 20” lake trout. b Map of the Mississippi River showing (1) Arkansas, (2) Tennessee, (3) Missouri, and (4) Kentucky. Text within each map indicates the fish consumption advisory issued for a 20” common carp
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