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HEALTH ADVISORY AND SAFE EATING GUIDELINES FOR FISH FROM SAN PABLO RESERVOIR (CONTRA COSTA COUNTY)
[2/26/09]

Fish samples were collected from San Pablo Reservoir in 1997 because of concerns over potential chemical contamination from urban runoff and local cinnabar-enriched rock, as well as frequent use of this water body by subsistence fishers. Under the guidance of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and funding by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) collected and analyzed fish for mercury and several organic contaminants. Selected composites were also sent to the Hazardous Materials Lab (HML) (now part of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control) for additional analyses. Sample size was not sufficient in the 1997 sampling for a complete health assessment and, thus, in 2000, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) collected additional fish for analysis with oversight by OEHHA. Samples were analyzed by CDFG with funding from the Toxic Substances Monitoring Program (TSMP). To protect public health in the period while this technical support document was being prepared, Contra Costa County, in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, issued an interim public health notification for fish from the affected area in 2000 and, again, in 2004.

Following publication of OEHHA’s advisory tissue levels (ATLs; Klasing and Brodberg, 2008) the contaminant data were re-evaluated by OEHHA to determine whether consumption advice provided by the interim advisory should be modified and to issue a state advisory. Newer “safe eating guidelines” also identify fish species with low contaminant levels considered safe to eat frequently. Based on this evaluation, a health advisory and safe eating guidelines were developed that allow fishers to select fish to eat from San Pablo Reservoir in quantities that maintain contaminant exposures within safe levels while supporting the benefits of fish consumption.

Follow the links below to download files as Acrobat pdf files.

 

 
 
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