IDPH updates local fish consumption advisories
SPRINGFIELD, Il. (WCIA) — While fresh-caught fish can often be a wise food choice for your diet, contaminated waters can sometimes make them dangerous to eat over time. The Illinois Department of Public Health recently updated its consumption advisories.
According to their website, some fishing waters have chemicals that get into the food that fish consume. Eating these fish over a long period of time can be harmful, so fish advisories are issued to keep chemical exposure limited. These alerts are based on routine testing of state waters, conducted by the Illinois Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program.
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“Eating fish does provide many health benefits, and our advisories aren’t really meant to discourage groups from eating fish,” said Brian Koch with the Environmental Toxicology Program. “We really do support people to choose fish that are low on contaminants. And really, the best way to do that is to follow our advisor recommendations.”
Last fall, the testing began including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also called “forever chemicals.” This has resulted in advisories for nine bodies of water across Illinois this year.
The IDPH said fishers should not eat fish from the following areas due to high levels of PFAS:
Franklin Creek – Lee County
Associated ponds in the Franklin Creek State Natural Area
Certain fish from the following waters are under a limited consumption advisory, and should only be eaten once per month:
Lake Zurich – Lake County
Crab Orchard Lake – Williamson County
Wolf Lake – Union County
Lake Michigan – Lake and Cook Counties
Waukegan North Harbor – Lake County
Sycamore Lake – DeKalb County
Midlothian Reservoir – Cook County
Chicago River – Lake, Cook, and Will Counties
“Fishing in Illinois waters is a great recreational activity that often leads to delicious meals,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “To make sure each of those catches are safe and healthy, please visit our Fish Advisory Map to get the most up to date information on Illinois’ consumption advisories.”
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In addition to PFAS, the fish consumption advisories also recognize polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and methylmercury.
PCB advisories were relaxed for certain species in Lake Michigan and Midlothian Reservoir, and removed for others in the same waters, as well as Crab Orchard Lake, the Sangamon River, and the Illinois River. The IDPH said this is a result of declining PCB levels across the state.
Methylmercury can be found in all Illinois waters. The IDPH advises one predatory fish meal per week for children below the age of 15 and those who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. Predatory fish include bass, walleye, and salmon.
Further methylmercury restrictions have been placed on some species in the Ohio River and the Little Wabash River watershed. On the other hand, site-specific advisories were removed from the Midlothian Reservoir and Lake Zurich.
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Officials say there is no known immediate health hazard from eating contaminated fish from any Illinois waters. Only long-term PCB, PFAS, and methylmercury exposure is known to be harmful.
The IDPH has a Fish Advisories webpage that includes more information, as well as an interactive Fish Advisory Map, which features more than 100 publicly accessible bodies of water across the state. The IDPH says they hope to have sample information from every major river and stream in the state within the next five years.
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