Fish Consumption and Advisory Awareness in the Great Lakes Basin

More than 61 million adults live in the eight U.S. states bordering the Great Lakes. Between June 2001 and June 2002, a population-based, random-digit-dial telephone survey of adults residing in Great Lakes (GL) states was conducted to assess consumption of commercial and sport-caught fish and aware...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental health perspectives 2005-10, Vol.113 (10), p.1325-1329
Main Authors: Imm, Pamela, Knobeloch, Lynda, Anderson, Henry A., The Great Lakes Sport Fish Consortium
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age
Animals
Awareness
Contaminants
Diet
Female
Fish
Fish byproducts
Fishes
Freshwater fishes
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Midwestern United States
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Public health
Telephones
Tuna
Watersheds
Workers' compensation
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Summary:More than 61 million adults live in the eight U.S. states bordering the Great Lakes. Between June 2001 and June 2002, a population-based, random-digit-dial telephone survey of adults residing in Great Lakes (GL) states was conducted to assess consumption of commercial and sport-caught fish and awareness of state-issued consumption advisories for GL fish. On the basis of the weighted survey data, approximately 84% of the adults living in these states included fish in their diets. Seven percent (an estimated 4.2 million adults) consumed fish caught from the Great Lakes. The percentage of residents who had consumed sport-caught fish (from any water source) varied regionally and was highest among those who lived in Minnesota (44%) and Wisconsin (39%). Consumption of GL sport fish was highest among residents of Michigan (16%) and Ohio (12%). Among residents who had eaten GL fish, awareness of consumption advisories varied by gender and race and was lowest among women (30%) and black residents (15%). However, 70% of those who consumed GL sport-caught fish twice a month or more (an estimated 509,000 adults across all eight states) were aware of the advisories. Findings from this survey indicate that exposure to persistent contaminants found in GL fish is likely limited to a relatively small subpopulation of avid sport-fish consumers. Results also underscore the public health importance of advisories for commercial fish because an estimated 2.9 million adults living in these states consume more than 104 fish meals per year and may be at risk of exceeding the reference doses for methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other bioaccumulative contaminants.
ISSN:0091-6765
1552-9924
DOI:10.1289/ehp.7980