Here in Northern Michigan there are just some things we all reasonable expect when it comes to nature. Our air is fresh, our water is clean, and the fish that live in it are safe to eat. But according to the latest fish advisory from the Michigan Department of Community Health that might not be the case. We reported the fish advisory announcement, but viewers still had questions. The answers I found for them are the subject of this Fact Finder.
Kory Groetsch, a toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Community Health, says new data collected means a new warning for those who eat certain fish from Torch Lake. The lake has been part of the state's fish advisory since 1996, but the 2010 version is updated. It's that update that filled each and every chair at a recent town hall meeting in Alden. For the past 14 years, these fishermen have been warned about PCBs and mercury levels in species of trout, whitefish, bass and perch, but told only to avoid eating whitefish. That's now changed when it to comes to lake trout. A group of chemicals called dioxins is to blame.
According to Groetsch the new warning for Lake Trout came about after a series of tests was run that hadn't been in the past. Groetsch explains "in 2009 we did look for this chemical and we found it to be higher then we would like to see it and that triggered the fish consumption advisory on Torch Lake." Eleven Lake Trout were caught on the lake and tested for their chemical composition. The overall trend found in lake trout was the larger the fish, the higher the dioxin levels. Groetsch says "these fish ranged between 8 and 76 units of dioxin. The number we compared to is 10. If you go to your grocery store most every fish in a grocery store is less than 1."
High dioxin levels raise red flags with the Department of Community Health because Groetsch says "we know from the science that would increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like cancer and cardiovascular disease."
So where did these dioxins come from? The lake trout weren't on the do not eat list last year, and now they are. Viewers wondered if someone suddenly dumped dioxin in the lake? What suddenly and dramatically changed on Torch Lake? Groetsch says most likely the answer is, nothing changed in the lake itself, rather in their testing procedures. And the dioxins were not likely a one time, recent, intentional act of dumping. In fact Groetsch says "there is no direct source in the lake it is falling in from the atmosphere or it fell in from the atmosphere in the past."
According to the state, the dioxins were probably produced decades ago, far away by some sort of incineration process. They were then carried in the atmosphere to our lakes, where they fell from the sky. The chemicals probably feel in most lakes, but stuck around a lot longer in Torch than other lakes because "it's deep, its cold, it's large. Lake Michigan has the same sort of problems. It grabs onto these dioxins, holds onto them for a very long time and then it builds up in the fish."
And according to this advisory, it could build up in you as well but only if you actually eat the Lake Trout. Swimming is fine. To be accurate, not even everyone who eats the fish one time will get sick, but it's a risk that some say could catch up with you if you eat fish with dioxins often. Groetsch says "think about it like the speed limit. If you drive over the speed limit once, you probably don't get a ticket, but if you go over it everyday by 20 miles per hour something is probably going to catch up with you."
Due to the cost, the lake trout will not likely be tested again in Torch Lake for years. Testing each fish costs approximately $1500. There are things that we all can do to limit our exposure to dioxin in fish. Dioxin is stored in the fatty tissue of the animal. Trimming away any excess fat, removing the skin, poking the fillet with a fork prior to cooking and cooking on a rack all allow for the fat to drip away from the meat. Groetsch says following those simple steps, and choosing to eat smaller fish could reduce the amount of dioxin present in a fish by as much as 50%.
If you would like to see the entire 2010 fish advisory here is a link:
http://www.Michigan.gov/documents/FishAdvisory03_67354_7.pdf
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