Health Journal Entry
Some New Jersey Fish is Contaminated (March 21, 2003)
Striped bass is one of the species in New Jersey waters with high levels of dangerous chemicals. Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The state of New Jersey warned that some seafood in its waters is contaminated with high levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and other dangerous chemicals. It advises the public to eat fish such as bluefish and striped bass no more than once per year. It also recommends that these fish should not be eaten by small children or pregnant women at all.
Last year, the New Jersey government advised the public about high levels of mercury in fish such as fresh water bass, lake trout, and walleye. It also issued a warning about high levels of dioxin in the blue claw crab.
Scientific studies have linked PCBs to cancer in humans. At one time, they were in widespread use as insulating material. Although the chemicals have not been produced since 1979, high levels remain in the environment. After a rainstorm, PCBs in contaminated soil are washed into rivers, lakes, streams, and the ocean.
