OEHHA Issues Updated Advisory For 9 Fish Species From Silverwood Lake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAM DELSON
(916) 764-0955
Sam.Delson@oehha.ca.gov

 Recommends No Consumption For Several Species

SACRAMENTO – An updated fish advisory for Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County recommends no consumption of several of the nine fish species covered by the advisory, including new “do not eat” advice for bullhead species.

The advisory provides “do not eat” advice for certain species due to elevated levels of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or both chemicals. All population groups should not eat any bullhead species, Sacramento Blackfish, Striped Bass, or Tui Chub from the lake, and women ages 18-49 and children ages 1-17 should not eat any black bass species, Channel catfish, or sunfish species. However, Rainbow Trout have lower levels of contaminants and can be safely eaten in up to seven servings per week.

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) developed the recommendations. They remain the same as the previous advisory released in 2013 except for the addition of bullhead species. The updated advisory is based on newer data indicating contaminant levels in some fish species from Silverwood Lake remain highly elevated.

“Eating fish low in chemical contaminants can help reduce the risk of heart disease and fish are an excellent source of protein,” said Dr. Lauren Zeise, director of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). “These guidelines are designed to balance the health benefits of eating fish against the risks from exposure to chemicals in fish caught from Silverwood Lake.”

Silverwood Lake is located approximately 12 miles north of the city of San Bernardino.

When consuming fish from Silverwood Lake, women ages 18 – 49 and children ages 1–17 should not eat black bass species, bullhead species, Channel Catfish, Sacramento Blackfish, Striped Bass, sunfish species, or Tui Chub. They may safely eat a maximum of seven total servings per week of Rainbow Trout, or one total serving per week of Tule Perch.

Women ages 50 and older and men ages 18 and older should not eat bullhead species, Sacramento Blackfish, Striped Bass, or Tui Chub. They may safely eat a maximum of seven total servings per week of Rainbow Trout, or one total serving per week of black bass species, Channel Catfish, sunfish species, or Tule Perch.

One serving is an eight-ounce fish fillet, measured prior to cooking, which is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. Children should eat smaller servings. For small fish species, several individual fish may make up a single serving.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is released into the environment from mining and burning coal. It accumulates in fish in the form of methylmercury, which can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in developing children and fetuses. Because of this, OEHHA provides a separate set of recommendations specifically for children up to age 17 and women of childbearing age (18-49 years).

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are a group of industrial chemicals. At high levels of exposure, they can cause health problems, including cancer. Although they were banned in the United States in the late 1970s, PCBs persist in the environment from spills, leaks or improper disposal. PCBs accumulate in the skin, fat, and some internal organs of fish. To reduce exposure from PCB-contaminated fish, OEHHA recommends eating only the skinless fillet (meat) portion of the fish.

The Silverwood Lake advisory joins more than 100 other OEHHA advisories that provide site-specific, health-based fish consumption advice for many of the places where people catch and eat fish in California, including lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs, and the California coast. A poster with the safe eating advice for Silverwood Lake is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. Advisories are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories web page.

OEHHA’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of Californians and our state’s environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support, and guide regulatory and other actions.

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