POTSDAM, N.Y., Jan. 8 Scientists from New York universities are working on a five-year analysis of Great Lakes fish to assess the level of harmful chemicals in them.A 1997 report said between 1 percent and 3 percent of women of childbearing age in the United States eat enough fish to place their fetuses at mercury exposure risk, Clarkson University said in a news release.Identifying the concentration levels of harmful pollutants, such as mercury or PCBs, in fresh-water lake fish is necessary for public health officials to develop appropriate and protective fish consumption advisories, Thomas Holsen, civil and environmental engineering professor at the Potsdam, N.Y, university said. Holsen said the project will analyze about 110 samples annually. In addition, scientists will conduct different scans to identify current unmeasured pollutants in the fish.Our findings should yield evidence that the scientific community can ... more accurately assess the risks of contaminants found on the health of the fish population itself and the wildlife that consumes them, he said. Scientists and engineers from Clarkson, State University of New York, Fredonia, and SUNY, Oswego, are participating.Copyright 2007 by UPI
