Advice after Mt. Polley fish tested — Don’t eat the gonads
Likely Bridge. (Govt B.C. photo)
NEWS/ MOUNT POLLEY — Don’t eat the gonads.
That’s the advice today (Friday) from the Environment Ministry and Interior Health Authority on the latest testing results arising out of the Mount Polley Mine tailings-pond spill.
The ministry said several fish from Polley and Quesnel Lakes have been tested and pose no human health risk. Four lake trout and two whitefish from Quesnel Lake and two rainbow trout from Polley Lake were tested.
The tests showed an elevated level of selenium in the livers and gonads. A person would have to consume about one cup of lake trout and rainbow trout livers and gonads in one day to exceed the high-consumption threshold.
A cup of flesh from the lake trout or rainbow trout wouldn’t exceed the guideline, said the ministry.
“…Those wishing to take extra precautionary measures may choose to remove the liver or gonads prior to consumption.”
The ministry added that the sampled fish also show slightly higher levels of arsenic, copper, manganese and zinc compared to fish sampled from 54 other lakes “but are still within human consumption guidelines.”
It said results taken in 2013 showed similar levels of selenium.
“The local geology where mines are located often have elevated levels of metals, meaning naturally occurring metal concentrations in local water bodies could be much greater in this region than elsewhere in the province.”
ArmchairMayor.ca 
SO given that all the water in tailings ponds is near “drinkable” and the sediment won’t leech out. Why have tailings ponds to begin with. If none of this stuff is harmful, why not just dump it straight in the lake/river/ocean?
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Well, there you have it folks. Eight fish were tested and they are just slightly more poisonous than elsewhere. Somehow, the geniuses in our environment office thought this sample was statistically significant enough to issue a press release. There probably aren’t that many living fish in these lakes now anyway. However, I trust that the two fish caught in Polley Lake were taken from randomly chosen locations.
Having only “slightly elevated levels” is certainly reassuring, except that without actual numbers, it could mean just about anything. For example, 0.005 is a mere .004 bigger than 0.001. On the other hand, 0.005 is also 5 times as large.
For me, nothing about this press release reveals anything except the ineptitude of our govt.
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We have many reports by government ministries and agencies downplaying the pollutants caused by big industries calling them “accepted levels” or this definition “high consumption thresholds”, that are still within human consumption guidelines. Who does these tests to establish this line where it’s bad for you or an acceptable level? And who do they do these test on? To try to convince us that there is a tolerable level of any poison is pure propaganda based on greed for profits taxes and royalties. I don’t want to ingest any amount of dangerous elements or chemicals.
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then I suggest you not eat anything. There are trace amounts of “bad things” in everything, even your precious and expensive organic foods.
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That may well be Steven, but when a government is trying to cover its ass over something that shouldn’t have happened had they done their job right to begin with, the testing is suspect, along with the results. It’s not like we have never been lied to before now, is it ?
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