By: Stephanie Teien
State health departments recently issued more fish consumption advisories across the Northwest based on updated reports of high contamination levels in lakes, rivers, and oceans. Proper cleaning and trimming can eliminate up to 50 percent of some toxins including PCBs and PBDEs (no amount of cleaning will eliminate mercury).
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Eat smaller fish.
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Eat the fillet and no other parts; most contaminants accumulate in the fatty areas of fish. Mercury is the exception: it accumulates in the muscle of the fish, so that you can't avoid contamination if you consume mercury-ladened fish.
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Fillet, clean and cook fish properly (see the above diagram from the Washington State Department of Health). Remove the skin, cut away the darker-colored fat which accumulates under the skin and in the belly.
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Check for local fish consumption advisories.
For detailed information about fish consumption advisories in Washington go to: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/fish/
In Oregon: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/envtox/fishconsumption.html
In Idaho: http://www.Idahohealth.org
In Montana: www.dphhs.mt.gov/fish2005.pdf
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