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For Immediate Release Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Contact: Cindy Parmenter
Director of Communications
(303) 692-2013 -Office
(303) 891-8382 - Pager
Fish in Pueblo Reservoir are Safe for Consumption
DENVER – A study recently completed by the Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment shows that fish in Pueblo Reservoir are well
below health-based standards for mercury and are safe for consumption.
Douglas H. Benevento, the Department of Public Health and
Environment’s executive director, said, “This is very good news. Tests performed
on fish caught at the reservoir showed that they contained very low levels of
mercury.
“Because the consumption of fish containing high levels of
mercury can be dangerous to health, we wanted to make certain that fish caught
at Pueblo Reservoir are safe for consumption -- and they are. The results were a
very pleasant surprise because the department’s experts thought we might find
higher levels of mercury in fish from this water body because of the species of
fish that usually are caught there.”
The fish tested as part of the study being conducted by the
department’s Water Quality Control Division were caught in October 2004 with the
assistance of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. This is the first such test
conducted on fish from Pueblo Reservoir.
Benevento said, “The Water Quality Control Division conducted
its first investigation and is issuing the first report in connection with this
study on fish in Pueblo Reservoir because the reservoir is one of the state’s
leading fishing water bodies.”
Benevento explained that the report on mercury levels in fish in
Pueblo Reservoir is the first to be completed as part of a new, larger study,
launched in 2004 by the Water Quality Control Division’s Monitoring Unit. The
study is being directed by Bob McConnell, the unit manager, with Lucia Machado,
an aquatic researcher for the unit, leading the research.
McConnell said that the study will evaluate mercury levels in
fish in approximately 100 lakes, reservoirs and rivers throughout Colorado to
determine if mercury consumption advisories should be issued or continued for
fish caught in those water bodies.
McConnell said that the study’s primary focus is on reservoirs
particularly popular for fishing.
Humans of all ages are susceptible to chronic mercury poisoning.
However, pregnant women and children under age 6 are especially susceptible to
mercury poisoning, which may harm developing nervous systems in fetuses and
young children, permanently affecting their ability to learn. Adults exposed to
high levels of mercury also can suffer from central nervous system and
cardiovascular problems. |
