S.C. boat landings to get signs warning about mercury in fish

Amid rising concerns about mercury pollution, health officials plan to put up warning signs at boat landings across the state.

They also are considering a first-ever program to test people's mercury levels.

Calling mercury contamination a "major public health issue," Edwin Cooper, a Charleston lawyer and member of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's board of commissioners, suggested posting placards at boat landings during an agency meeting last month.

Cooper said Thursday that the warning sign issue "had been on my personal radar for a number of years," but that he also was spurred by The Post and Courier's recent series, "The Mercury Connection."

The series identified mercury hot spots in the Edisto River/Four Holes Swamp area and along the Little Pee Dee and Lynches rivers, and showed how some people who eat fish from these waterways have unusually high levels of mercury in their bodies.

So far, DHEC has issued advisories warning people not to eat certain species of fish in more than 1,700 miles of South Carolina rivers, mostly in the coastal plain.

The agency also distributes thousands of pamphlets every year and posts guidelines on its Web site, but Cooper said it makes sense to warn people at boat landings. "That's the primary way people get to the water."

Mercury is a neurotoxin that's been linked to birth defects, heart failure, nervous disorders and other health problems. Young children and developing fetuses are especially vulnerable.

Mercury comes from the stacks of coal-fired power plants, factories and natural sources and builds up in fish over time.

Because mercury is so toxic, every year DHEC biologists measure mercury levels in about 2,000 fish they catch at fishing holes across the state. So far, however, the state has only tested one member of the public — a doctor on Hilton Head — despite having state-of-the-art lab equipment to do so.

Last month, a group of Florence physicians concerned about a proposed coal plant urged DHEC to begin testing residents.

Cooper said agency officials plan to discuss human testing at its next board meeting.

For its series, The Post and Courier collected hair from more than 40 people and found that some frequent fish eaters ranked among the most mercury-contaminated people in the nation.

Still, many of those the newspaper tested said they knew about the mercury contamination issue but either didn't think it was a problem or thought DHEC's warnings were overblown.

Some said that even if their bodies had high levels of mercury, they still planned to eat the fish they caught.

According to DHEC, certain species of fish, including largemouth bass and catfish, are so contaminated on some rivers that people should avoid eating a single bite.

Officials are still reviewing the types of signs, the text and the best places to post them, said Adam Myrick of DHEC's media relations department. "We are moving quickly to have signs posted as soon as possible."

Chester Sansbury, a former DHEC official active with the group Republicans for Environmental Protection, said it's about time DHEC put up the signs. "It helps advise the public of the health risks much better and it also raises the issue more in the public's mind," he said.

Reach Tony Bartelme at 937-5554 or tbartelme@postandcourier.com.