| Tests Find Unsafe Chemical Levels in Smallmouth Bass Near Dam |
The Oregonian Staff - reported by Michael Milstein
March 18, 2008—The Oregonian Staff
Despite New tests of smallmouth bass from the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam found fish with concentrations of industrial chemicals of as
much as 26,000 times higher than what state officials consider safe for human consumption.
Officials warned against eating fish from the area.
The fish were collected in 2006 near Bradford Island, where Bonneville Dam workers historically disposed of electrical equipment by dumping it
into the river. Some of the equipment contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, known to have contaminated the area.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected the 19 smallmouth bass in 2006 before using diver-operated suction hoses to vacuum some of the
most contaminated sections of the river bottom. Testing found concentrations of PCBs ranging from a low of 32 parts per billion to a high of
26,000 parts per billion, with an overall average for all the fish of 3,000 parts per billion.
By contrast, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality sets a level of 1 part per billion as safe for someone eating large amounts of the
fish over many years.
Officials tested the bass because they are generally considered resident fish and would be among the species most likely to be exposed to the
contamination, said Scott Clemans of the corps. Fish that migrate through the area should not be at risk from PCB contamination, officials said.
Clemans said it's not clear that the source of contamination in the bass was the scrapped electrical equipment, because the concentrations of
PCBs did not seem to correspond to the age, size and location where the fish were collected.
Agencies are also testing clams, crayfish, sculpins, sediment and water from the area, but those tests are not complete.
The state Office of Environmental Public Health is reviewing the test results before issuing public fish consumption warnings for the area. Until
then, anglers and consumers should refer to an advisory for the Portland Harbor, where similar levels of PCBs have been found in fish
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March 18, 2008—The Oregonian Staff
Despite New tests of smallmouth bass from the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam found fish with concentrations of industrial chemicals of as
much as 26,000 times higher than what state officials consider safe for human consumption.
Officials warned against eating fish from the area.
The fish were collected in 2006 near Bradford Island, where Bonneville Dam workers historically disposed of electrical equipment by dumping it
into the river. Some of the equipment contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, known to have contaminated the area.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected the 19 smallmouth bass in 2006 before using diver-operated suction hoses to vacuum some of the
most contaminated sections of the river bottom. Testing found concentrations of PCBs ranging from a low of 32 parts per billion to a high of
26,000 parts per billion, with an overall average for all the fish of 3,000 parts per billion.
By contrast, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality sets a level of 1 part per billion as safe for someone eating large amounts of the
fish over many years.
Officials tested the bass because they are generally considered resident fish and would be among the species most likely to be exposed to the
contamination, said Scott Clemans of the corps. Fish that migrate through the area should not be at risk from PCB contamination, officials said.
Clemans said it's not clear that the source of contamination in the bass was the scrapped electrical equipment, because the concentrations of
PCBs did not seem to correspond to the age, size and location where the fish were collected.
Agencies are also testing clams, crayfish, sculpins, sediment and water from the area, but those tests are not complete.
The state Office of Environmental Public Health is reviewing the test results before issuing public fish consumption warnings for the area. Until
then, anglers and consumers should refer to an advisory for the Portland Harbor, where similar levels of PCBs have been found in fish
Report Link