CONSUMPTION ADVISORY BENCHMARKS FOR TOXIN LEVELS IN CANGAGIGUE CREEK

Right about now Woolwich Township deserve credit for having posted fish warning signs last year along the Canagagigue Creek. Ontario Ministry of Environment officials, on the other hand, in my opinion, deserve an all expenses free accomodation visit to Toronto's Don Jail. The results are extremely bad for the natural environment, for fish and for consumers of fish whether wildlife or humans.

Appendix 1 of the Ministries just released Biological Assessment for the Canagagigue Creek has the consumption advisories based upon how many meals per month one can allegedly eat without adverse effects at various toxin concentrations. Personally knowingly eating any amount of food contaminated with Dioxins, PCBs, Mercury and DDT seems bizarre to me. Equally bizarre is the different concentrations of toxins permitted for two different populations of human beings. They are a General Population and a Sensitive Population set of concentrations for each contaminant. Obviously the concentrations are much lower for the Sensitive Population. That said to date I haven't found their definitions of same although they should be fairly straightforward. Normally sensitive populations consist of children, women of child bearing age, persons with comprimised immune systems or other serious health issues. So for females let's suggest they are a sensitive population from age 0-11 and 14-45 approximately and older of course (60+) depending upon their health. Males are a sensitive population from 0-11 and if they are lucky only 60 and older. Well to me that encompasses one very large proportion of the human population. Therefore why even have the so called higher concentrations for the "General Population"?

For the Sensitive Population exactly how close are the fish concentrations to the 0 meals/month or the Do Not Eat (Ever)! category? Zero meals per month due to Mercury has a concentration of .5 parts per million (ppm). We have concentrations of Mercury in three Carp tested at .41, .43 and .46 ppm.. Zero meals per month due to total PCBs has a concentration of 211 parts per billion (ppb). Three Carp are at 120, 160 and 210 ppb.. Total TEQ (Dioxins/Furans & PCBs) have a zero meals per month concentration of 5.4 parts per trillion (ppt). Carp have concentrations of 3.28, 3.75, and 4.58 ppt.. Shiners are at 3.26 and 3.45 ppt..

Finally I need to point out a major boo boo by the Ont. M.O.E. Last year (May 12/16) they distributed to TAG and the public a report titled "Eating Fish from Canagagigue Creek". Overall I found it very bad for many reasons but the most blatant was it's claim that the Total DDT zero meals per month number was an astounding and frankly ridiculous 93,858 parts per billion (ppb). Well it certainly was that although I'm still not much impressed with their new number in this just released report. It states that zero meals per month number is now 5,000 ppb. Perhaps we should wait another year and get a better number yet.