04-20-2005, 05:28 PM
Some fish caught in Breakneck Pond in Harriman State Park may be contaminated with mercury, and the state is warning residents to limit the amount that they eat.
In its yearly updated fish advisory, the state Department of Health said that men, and women past their childbearing years should eat no more than one meal per month of large-mouth bass larger than 15 inches caught in the pond.
Women of childbearing years and children younger than 15 should avoid eating any fish caught in Breakneck Pond, according to the state.
First-time advisories were issued for Breakneck Pond and 24 other waterways throughout New York. The warning for Breakneck Pond is the only new advisory issued specifically for Rockland.
The warnings were based on data collected from more than 2,500 fish in 84 waters across the state, said Claire Pospisil, spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Health. Specific advisories now apply to 117 lakes and waterways throughout the state. She did not know if fish from other lakes in Rockland were tested.
Theresa Davis, owner of Davis Sport Shop in Sloatsburg, which sells fishing equipment, said she didn't think the advisory would have much of an effect on people who fish in Breakneck Pond.
"Most people who fish there do catch and release," she said. "It's mostly recreational."
Geoff Welch, a local environmentalist and head of the Ramapo River Committee, said he was not surprised to learn that mercury was detected in fish caught in Breakneck Pond.
"If they found it in one lake, it's pretty safe to assume it's there in low levels in fish from the other lakes," he said.
The state has long advised that residents limit their consumption of fish caught in any fresh water and in salt water at the mouth of the Hudson River to no more than one meal, or a half-pound, per week.
Mercury and other contaminants may affect the nervous system and organs in fetuses, newborns and young children, according to the health department. It also can build up in women's bodies, and some chemicals may be passed to newborns in their mother's milk.
Mercury gets into the environment from emissions from coal-burning power plants, some located hundreds of miles away and from metal processing plants. Once in the atmosphere, mercury is widely disseminated and can circulate for years,
Other contaminants found in fish throughout the state include polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs, and DDT.
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In its yearly updated fish advisory, the state Department of Health said that men, and women past their childbearing years should eat no more than one meal per month of large-mouth bass larger than 15 inches caught in the pond.
Women of childbearing years and children younger than 15 should avoid eating any fish caught in Breakneck Pond, according to the state.
First-time advisories were issued for Breakneck Pond and 24 other waterways throughout New York. The warning for Breakneck Pond is the only new advisory issued specifically for Rockland.
The warnings were based on data collected from more than 2,500 fish in 84 waters across the state, said Claire Pospisil, spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Health. Specific advisories now apply to 117 lakes and waterways throughout the state. She did not know if fish from other lakes in Rockland were tested.
Theresa Davis, owner of Davis Sport Shop in Sloatsburg, which sells fishing equipment, said she didn't think the advisory would have much of an effect on people who fish in Breakneck Pond.
"Most people who fish there do catch and release," she said. "It's mostly recreational."
Geoff Welch, a local environmentalist and head of the Ramapo River Committee, said he was not surprised to learn that mercury was detected in fish caught in Breakneck Pond.
"If they found it in one lake, it's pretty safe to assume it's there in low levels in fish from the other lakes," he said.
The state has long advised that residents limit their consumption of fish caught in any fresh water and in salt water at the mouth of the Hudson River to no more than one meal, or a half-pound, per week.
Mercury and other contaminants may affect the nervous system and organs in fetuses, newborns and young children, according to the health department. It also can build up in women's bodies, and some chemicals may be passed to newborns in their mother's milk.
Mercury gets into the environment from emissions from coal-burning power plants, some located hundreds of miles away and from metal processing plants. Once in the atmosphere, mercury is widely disseminated and can circulate for years,
Other contaminants found in fish throughout the state include polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs, and DDT.
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