Fish story needs fleshing out.
A recent pair of articles in the New York Daily News didn't go far enough to tell people why eating fish from local waters can be harmful.
A recent series of articles in the New York Daily News reported about the lack of proper health warnings from state health agencies for people eating fish from polluted waters near New York City. However, the articles missed opportunities to educate their readers about the extent of those health risks.
The July 5th article explored how the economic downturn has led some people to start fishing from local waters as a way to supplement the food that they put on their families’ dinner tables. However many types of fish in the waters near New York City have high levels of PCBs and mercury. The reporters found that many of the anglers were not aware of the risks posed by eating frequent meals of fish.
When questioned by the journalists, state health officials assured them that warning signs were posted at fishing spots and that brochures in English and Spanish were distributed to Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) centers throughout the city. But, a follow-up article on July 6th reported that posted signs were difficult to locate and that none of the eight WIC centers contacted displayed the brochures.
Both articles provided solid information about the basic state health advisories on fish consumption: women of childbearing age and children should not eat fish from local waters. They also explained some of the health risks associated with PCBs and mercury. The articles stated that PCBs are “cancer-causing,” and PCBs and mercury in “unborn babies and young children…can cause problems to their developing organs.”
But, there are other important issues at hand and the reporters may have been more successful helping people by further citing other real – but perhaps lesser known – concerns associated with eating fish laden with PCBs and mercury.
One point is that the developing nervous system of the fetus and of children is more vulnerable to harm than the adult nervous system; hence the advice for women of childbearing age and children to avoid eating locally caught fish. Not everyone might make the connection without having it drawn for them.
Another point is that children who have been exposed to higher amounts of these contaminants are more apt to have impaired learning, memory and attention skills. These are problems that may last a lifetime and make day-to-day activities in school and later, in the workplace, very difficult.
Some New Yorkers are in a tough situation where they have to fish from local waters to try to provide food for their families. However, they may explore other options to feed their families if they better understand why frequent meals of contaminated fish can harm their loved ones.
In an encouraging footnote, the Daily News reported on July 9th that the New York City Parks Department will begin installing 250 new warning signs at local fishing areas. This will further alert local residents to the need to limit consumption of locally caught fish.
