Assessment of the necessity, feasibility, and potential strategies for the creation, implementation, and dissemination of mercury-related fish consumption guidelines in British Columbia
Date
2010-02-16T17:31:04Z
Authors
McMackin, Rebecca Alexia Giampietro
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Abstract
Consumption of mercury in fish in the human diet can cause developmental damage in fetuses and young children, cardiac infarction and infertility in adult men, and neurological damage in people in general. British Columbia does not have fish consumption advisories for sport-caught fish and province-wide testing of fish-mercury levels has not been conducted. Yet preliminary tests show that certain sport-caught fish have mercury concentrations above Health Canada guideline for normal consumption by the general population. Government officials are aware of the potential health damage from mercury in sport-fish from BC. and preliminary research into the necessity of policy to protect fish consumers is being conducted. But, the research required to ground the policy making process has not been done.
There is a need for an assessment of the necessity, feasibility. and strategies for creating and disseminating freshwater fish consumption advisories in British Columbia. The objective of this project was to provide sound scientific research as part of the basis of policy development. I aimed to do this by evaluating what can be learned from a range of fish consumption policies in Canada and elsewhere to guide effective policy creation in BC, if it is deemed necessary. In addition, I assessed whether or not fish consumption advisories would be necessary to protect public health among a sport-fishing population on Elk Lake. Vancouver Island. by evaluating fish consumption, the state of mercury knowledge among these fishers (current awareness), how mercury information reaches them (information flow), and how they use this information to make decisions about their diet (personal diet management).
I analyzed provincial strategies for the creation, implementation. and dissemination of fish consumption advisories and provided recommendations for BC. I advise that BC conduct one large-scale. province wide fish-mercury survey to ascertain if mercury levels are high enough to cause health concerns. If levels are above 0.5 ppm, guidelines should be instituted and advisories communicated using the Health Canada Tolerable Daily Intake levels. Stakeholder participation is required throughout the process to increase advisory and policy efficacy. I provide recommendations for contents and format of advisories.
I designed and conducted a survey to obtain demographic information. fish consumption behavior, sources of health information. and levels of concern and knowledge regarding mercury, as well as to assess the fishers' level of desire to know more about the benefits and risks of eating fish. Results showed that 40% of respondents constituted a "sensitive population" or could potentially feed fish to a sensitive family member. Half (49%) of those surveyed were concerned about mercury in fish and had a basic or advanced understanding of the issues. The majority of fishers (67%) wanted to know more about the risks and benefits of eating fish and would read a guide about mercury in local fish if it were available (79%). Almost everyone (93%) said they would follow fish consumption guidelines if they were available, while 36% said they would stop eating fish with any mercury in them at all. Fishers trusted "scientists" more than
the media" or "the government" to provide them with correct information and to have their best interests in mind.
Based on this research. fishers could be consuming damaging amounts of mercury if fishers and fish-mercury data in all of BC are similar to those collected for Elk Lake and Vancouver Island. Risk is higher for those individuals who consume fish regularly. I offer recommendations for next-steps and risk assessment. This project endeavors to further the formation of science-based policy. In addition to the fish-mercury data of the Ministry of the Environment, this research aims to provide the means and the methods for creating and disseminating fish consumption guidelines.
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Keywords
fish, mercury content, Elk Lake, British Columbia