The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday urged locals to limit their consumption of salmon from Puget Sound saying that certain varieties contained harmful chemicals.
Health officials said that due to the high levels of mercury and PCB (a banned industrial chemical) diners would need to restrict their diet of chinook salmon to once a week and consume the resident Chinook or blackmouth to a maximum of twice a month.
These recent restrictions come in the wake of a study of toxins in the Puget Sound fish and emphasize the need to urgently clean up and restore the Puget Sound. Various environmental groups and advocates have lauded the recent decree.
The Puget Sound Partnership, for example is committed to restoring the Sound to health by 2020. The state's warning also clears up a lot of confusion regarding the benefits and hazards of fish consumption.
The issue of immediate concern is the presence of the two extremely toxic contaminants that could percolate through the food chain into humans. PCBs were banned in 1977, but deposits remain in the marine environment. Mercury, is often created by improper disposal of electric switches, bulbs etc. These toxins are considered unsafe and are known to cause behavioral and learning problems. Pregnant women and children have been especially warned against using these toxin-containing salmon.
Certain others species of fish such as flatfish and certain types of rock fish have also been found to contains high levels of pollutants. Nevertheless, officials recommended that the benefits of eating fish high in Omega-3 offset the risks associated with it.
