Health Department Expands Warning to Carolina Fishermen

Health Warnings for PCB levels in fish

Fishermen in the Carolinas are being warned to limited their consumption of large mouth bass and other fish due to serious health concerns. Until their ban, a little over 30 years ago, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) were used by many industries as coolants and lubricants in machinery as well as other uses. The ban on the PCBs came after it was determined that they caused cancer in humans.

While their use has ceased, the damage has not. The PCBs worked their way into the waterways and settled into the soil where they remain. Once consumed by the fish, the fish become a potential source of the toxin in humans.

Previously, warnings had been issued to fishermen in several lakes and reservoirs in North and South Carolina. Now those warnings extend to the entire length of Catawba River system where it runs from Charlotte, NC south to Columbia SC and all of the lakes and reservoirs in between.

The warning was issued by the Department of Health and Environmental Control this week. According to the department, individuals should not eat more than moderate amounts of largemouth bass from the waterways.