Human Health Concerns from
Eating Stellwagen Bank Organisms
Potential
impacts on human health as a result of eating commercially harvested
fin- and shellfish from Stellwagen Bank can be assessed by comparing
tissue contaminant concentrations with 1) FDA Action Levels (U.S. FDA,
1992), 2) FDA Levels of Concern (U.S. FDA, 1993a-e), and 3) EPA Screening
Values (U.S. EPA, 1993g). Boehm et al. (1984) is one of the only studies
which have analyzed PAH and PCB concentrations from a commercially important
species collected from the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary. American
dab (Hippoglossoides plattessoides) were collected from two stations
adjacent to Stellwagen Basin. While PAH concentrations were very low,
PCB levels exceeded the EPA Screening Value of 0.02 µg/g wet weight.
One can argue that the criterion for PCBs is extremely conservative,
since most offshore dab and winter flounder exceed this value. Nevertheless,
PCBs in dab fillets are the only contaminants which exceed current levels
of regulatory concern. There is a paucity of data available on commercially
harvested species. However, the almost complete absence of data on tissue
contaminant levels of species harvested from Stellwagen Bank makes it
impossible to definitively assess whether contaminant levels could be
a cause of concern in terms of human health.
In a
recent assessment of adverse effects on human health resulting from
the consumption of seafood harvested from inshore Massachusetts waters
(Massachusetts EOEA, 1995, in preparation), Robinson concluded that
PCBs, lead (and possibly mercury) were present at concentrations high
enough to be of public health concern. Both PCBs and lead are widely
distributed in Massachusetts waters, and may elicit effects at low concentrations
(based on Risk Assessment methodology, using conservative assumptions).
The risk from lead is primarily to small children and pregnant women.
Mercury contamination in top predators such as tuna, bluefish and striped
bass may be to the extent that there is cause for concern. It remains
to be seen whether species harvested from Stellwagen Bank will exhibit
levels of PCBs, lead and mercury as elevated as the more inshore fish.
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