What is DDT?
What are PCBs?
How widespread or severe is the chemical (DDTs and PCBs) contamination off the coasts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties?
How can you tell if a fish has DDTs or PCBs contamination?
What are the health effects of eating fish contaminated with DDTs and PCBs?
I have been eating fish caught off the coast for years, how is this affecting my health now?
Should senior citizens be concerned?
How can you identify white croaker?
Why does white croaker have higher levels of DDTs and PCBs?
Why can we not eat white croaker from the red zones and can eat them from the yellow zone? Don’t the chemicals mix in the water?
Will cooking the fish remove the chemical contaminants?
Will frying the fish remove the contaminants?
What effect does giving the skin and fatty parts to pets have?
Are eggs of fish considered part of the guts?
1. What is DDT?
DDT is a pesticide that was widely used in the United States until the 1970’s to control insects that destroy crops and carry diseases like malaria. In the environment, DDT breaks down into DDE and DDD; thus we use the term “DDTs” to refer to all DDT compounds that may be present. When DDTs were found to be harmful to both human health and wildlife, the use of DDT was banned in the United States. However, because of their stable chemical structures, DDTs will stay in the environment for a very long period of time. DDT is still being used in some countries such as India and Mexico
2. What are PCBs?
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are a group of man-made chemicals that were widely used in industrial processes, such as in the production of electrical equipment, because of their insulating properties. Their use was also banned in the 1970s because they were found to harm both human health
and wildlife. However, because of their stable chemical structures, PCBs don’t break down easily in the environment.
3. How widespread or severe is the chemical (DDTs and PCBs) contamination off the coasts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties?
More than a 100 tons of DDTs and about 11 tons of PCBs were deposited in the sediments on the ocean bottom and cover over a 17 square mile area, from Point Fermin to the southern edge of Redondo Canyon, northwest of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The highest levels of DDTs and PCBs in ocean sediment were found about one to three miles off shore of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Enough contamination is present between Point Dume and Newport Pier, that fishing advisories
have been issued for multiple fishing areas
between these points.
4. How can you tell if a fish has DDTs or PCBs contamination?
with DDTs and PCBs do not look, taste or smell any different than fish that are not contaminated. That is why it is important to follow the fish consumption advisories
and recommendations for Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
5. What are the health effects of eating fish contaminated with DDTs and PCBs?
The more contaminated fish
you eat over your lifetime, the greater your risk of developing health problems
related to DDTs or PCBs. Eating fish with DDTs and PCBs does not make people sick right away. However, these chemicals can build up and stay in your body for a long time. This might cause health problems
Health effects associated with DDTs and PCBs include: cancer, liver damage, and effects on the immune, endocrine, neurological, and reproductive systems. Many effects have only been shown in animal tests, but could occur in humans. Health risks resulting from exposure to these chemicals may also be higher for infants and young children. During pregnancy and lactation, mothers can pass DDTs and PCBs on to their infants. These chemicals can then affect overall growth and development, and brain development and function.
Some children born to mothers with high amounts of PCBs in their bodies, as a result of eating fish with high levels of PCBs, showed delayed growth and development. However, the levels of PCBs in the fish eaten by these mothers were 5 to 10 times higher than levels of PCBs found in fish from the coasts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
6. I have been eating fish caught off the coast for years, how is this affecting my health now?
It is difficult to say if and how your health
is being affected now. This is because whether or not your experience health effects
from eating locally caught fish depends on how much fish you eat, the type of fish you eat, which parts of the fish you eat, and how often these fish are eaten. Generally if you eat fish within the recommended amounts, you minimize your chances of developing health problems related to chemicals that might be in the fish.
Other factors such as genetics, your total diet, and overall lifestyle also influence your health. If you eat white croaker from the LA coast on a weekly basis, for example, you may have high levels of PCBs and DDTs in your body, but that does not mean that you would experience health effects.
7. Should senior citizens be concerned?
Yes, senior citizens should be concerned because these chemicals might decrease how well they are able to fight illnesses. It is best for senior citizens to follow the fish consumption advisories
and recommended preparation and cooking practices,
and to help other family members do likewise. You can lower the possibility of developing health problems
related to chemicals by reducing your exposures to chemicals in fish. You can do this by controlling which fish you eat, how often you eat fish, how much fish you eat, and which parts of the fish you eat.
8. How can you identify white croaker?
is called different names, including tomcod or kingfish. A few identifying features of white croaker include: 12 – 15 spines on dorsal fin, black spot just above the pectoral fin which is the fin adjacent to the gill, horizontal mouth, slightly protruding snout. White croaker
may resemble queenfish.
9. Why does white croaker have higher levels of DDTs and PCBs?
feed directly off the bottom of the ocean floor where the chemicals like DDTs and PCBs are located. White croaker is also a fatty fish and DDTs and PCBs tend to build up in the fatty tissue. White croaker
caught from yellow zone areas generally have lower levels of DDTs and PCBs than those caught from the red zone areas.
10. Why can we not eat white croaker from the red zones and can eat them from the yellow zone? Don’t the chemicals mix in the water?
The concentration of DDTs and PCBs in the water and sediment drop off the further you are from the areas that are most contaminated with DDTs and PCBs. Fish sampling and testing over the years have shown that white croaker caught from the red zone areas have much higher levels of DDTs and PCBs than white croaker
caught from the yellow zone. This is mainly due to the fact that white croaker feed directly off the bottom of the ocean floor where the chemicals are located. White croaker
is also a fatty fish and DDTs and PCBs tend to build up in fatty tissues. Data from fish sampling and testing so far has found most white croaker in the yellow zone to be less contaminated than those in the red zone. In general, following the consumption recommendations for the different zones can help reduce your exposure
to the chemicals in fish.
11. Will cooking the fish remove the chemical contaminants?
Unlike bacterial and viral contaminants, simply cooking fish contaminated
with DDTs and PCBs will not completely remove the chemicals. Cooking and some preparation methods
will reduce the levels of DDTs and PCBs in fish. These methods include removing the fatty parts of the fish, including the skin, guts, fat, fatty dark meat along the entire length of the fillet and all the belly fat. Eat only the cooked fillet. Bake, broil, steam or grill fish and let the cooking juices drip away. Use only the fillet when making soups, caldos, stews, or chowders.
12. Will frying the fish remove the contaminants?
In general, cooking fish by most methods, including frying, will help decrease levels of PCBs and DDTs. Removing fatty parts of fish like the skin where these chemicals tend to build up also is recommended. The preparation and cooking methods
do not get rid of all the chemicals so it is still best to stay within the recommended consumption amounts listed in the advisories.
Preparation and cooking methods do NOT decrease the amount of mercury in any fish, so it is important to follow the advisories for the consumption amounts recommended.
13. What effect does giving the skin and fatty parts to pets have?
Animals can also build up chemicals in their bodies, so feeding pets the skin and fatty parts that are likely to have DDTs and PCBs will increase their body burdens and may increase the risk of them developing health problems
. Much of the information on health effects
comes from studies performed on animals.
14. Are eggs of fish considered part of the guts?
Eggs or the roe are not technically organs or “guts”, but they do tend to have higher fat levels. It is best not to eat them in order to reduce your intake of PCBs and DDTs.