Fish Consumption

Plain Language Report Summary

(use links at right to view online or to download the full report).

Fish are an important part of the human diet that provides essential fatty acids required for many critical health functions. They are a high-protein, low saturated-fat food source. However, fish are currently contaminated and are becoming contaminated with a growing list of toxic chemicals. These chemicals are disseminated into water and air from industry, transportation, urban areas, and agriculture. Chemical pollutants, including pesticides and heavy metals, indirectly enter waterways from the soil and atmosphere and are directly discharged as industrial waste. These chemicals become suspended in the water and eventually adsorb onto sediment particles in rivers and lakes. Particles with chemical toxins can, in turn, be ingested by small organisms that live in the sediment and benthic fish. Through the process of bioaccumulation in the aquatic food chain, the chemical toxins are ingested by larger and larger fish. Most of these compounds become stored in the adipose tissue of fish, except for mercury and perfluoro chemicals, which are stored in the muscle tissue of fish. Eventually, human consumers of fish are exposed to these chemicals.

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