Its OK to get Vaccs but Don't eat the DUCKS

September 30, 2005

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3074414Utah health advisory: Tests show some waterfowl that feed on GreatSalt Lake marshes fail EPA standardsBy Patty Henetz and Brett PrettymanThe Salt Lake TribuneTwo days before the opening day of the duck hunting season, stateofficials warned Utah hunters not to eat northern shovelers or commongoldeneyes that feed on Great Salt Lake marshes because tests of theirflesh show toxic levels of mercury.The health advisory appears to be the first of its kind in thenation, said state Health Department toxicologist Wayne Ball, whoanalyzed Utah State University laboratory results of samples statescientists took from seven different duck species on the south end ofthe lake last year and during the past two months.All but three of the species in the sample had at least one duckwith mercury levels higher than what the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency considers safe to eat. Ten goldeneyes were tested and showedresults ranging from below the EPA standard of .3 milligrams ofmercury per kilogram of edible tissue to 14 times the standard. Of the20 shovelers sampled, only one was below the standard, while the restranged from about twice the standard to 39 times the safety point.The EPA standard for edible tissue is the same for fish as forducks. Ball said toxicologists normally try to calculate what amountof fish is safe to consume because eating fish is healthy. But withthe ducks, "these levels were high enough that there's really no safelevel of consumption," he said.That likely will disappoint 11-year-old Justin Summers, who shot ashoveler last weekend during the state-sponsored youth waterfowl hunt.Justin's father, Troy Summers, says he told the young hunter "we eatwhat we kill."The duck feast was planned for Thursday night."Not now," Summers said on hearing of the advisory. "I'll justhave to explain it to him. We do eat what we shoot, but this warningwasn't out there when he took this bird. It is not worth riskingsomebody's health."The state Health Department, Department of Environmental Quality,Division of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicejointly issued the no-consumption advisory after meeting Thursdaymorning. The agencies knew it was vital to get the information outbefore the hunt's opening day, which they did with just 40 hours to spare.Testing waterfowl is an offshoot of the state's newmercury-related fish-testing program, began this summer. Last month,the state Division of Water Quality and the Health Department issuedUtah's first-ever advisories for mercury in fish taken from Mill Creeknear Moab and Gunlock Reservoir near St. George.Utah Waterfowl Association Vice President Jack Ray was one of theprime movers behind waterfowl testing. He says he became concernedafter reading a Salt Lake Tribune article in February about a federalstudy of the Great Salt Lake that found some of the highest levels ofmercury ever recorded in the nation.Ray said he was glad the agencies moved quickly because hunterswill be able to make good decisions on what they shoot and eat."This suggests there's an awful lot of mercury here in Utah alongthe Wasatch Front and someone needs to take the issue seriously," he said.Mercury is a highly toxic element that occurs naturally in theenvironment but also has been introduced through human activity.Coal-burning power plants are the largest human-caused source ofmercury pollution in the world and continue to spread mercury throughthe atmosphere.Utah's industrial and mining past has exposed the Great Salt Lakeand other waterways to mercury pollution. Gold mines in northeasternNevada, upwind of Salt Lake City, have reported releasing largeamounts of mercury into the atmosphere.Mercury evaporates easily. Rain redeposits it on land and in waterbodies, where it is changed to its organic form, methylmercury, whichin turn "bioaccumulates" in animals and humans. Methylmercury affectsthe human nervous system, and is most harmful to fetuses and youngchildren because it can cause developmental and neurological problems.Recent studies also have linked mercury exposure to autism, Alzheimer'sAdvertisementdisease and increased risk of heart disease in men.In February, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and Fishand Wildlife Service reported finding in the Great Salt Lake some ofthe highest levels of methlymercury ever recorded in the UnitedStates. The study focused on eared grebes, migratory birds that feedheavily on brine shrimp from May to December. The researchers foundmercury levels in the birds' livers more than doubled during theirmonths on the lake.Grebes aren't eaten. Some hunters also spurn northern shovelers,also known as spoonbills, and goldeneyes, claiming they don't liketheir taste. But Tom Aldrich, waterfowl program coordinator forWildlife Resources and a wildfowl hunter who eats everything he takes,disagrees."The early season fat shovelers are actually very good roasted. Idefy the people who think shovelers aren't good to eat," he said.Goldeneyes, however, "are strong-flavored and difficult to pick. But anice big drake goldeneye is a pretty bird, and some folks prefer toadd them to their taxidermy collection."The other duck species USU and the toxicologists tested weremallard, cinnamon teal, green wing teal, redhead and gadwall. Samplesfrom the latter three were all below the mercury standard. While somemallards and a cinnamon teal showed elevated levels, they aren't aworry, Aldrich said.Since shovelers and goldeneyes both eat brine shrimp, brine shrimpeggs and larvae, the reasons why shovelers had mercury levels so muchhigher are a mystery."It's got to be that those shovelers are selectively pickingsomething up that most of the species aren't," Aldrich said. "As welearn more, we will refine the questions and eventually really zero inon what they're eating and what the source of the mercury is."It is unlikely that hunters will bag any goldeneye early in theseason because they usually do not arrive on the Great Salt Lakemarshes on their southern migration until the middle of November. Butshovelers make up about 10 percent of the current waterfowl populationand have accounted for 13 to 14 percent of the overall ducks taken byhunters mid-October through mid-November over the last three seasons,Aldrich said.This weekend, wildlife law enforcement officers, biologists andeven parking lot personnel will be part of a massive campaign to alerthunters about the advisory, Aldrich said. "But I have to tell you,we've got guys out camping on Farmington Bay today so they get theirspot. I don't think we will go out there to hand them notices."For duck hunters* What is the advisory?The State Department of Health advises hunters to not eat northernshovelers and common goldeneye ducks taken from Great Salt Lakemarshes because of high levels of mercury in their meat.* How do I identify the two species?Check out the 2005 Waterfowl Proclamation for an illustration of ashoveler. A photo of a common goldeneye is on the Web athttp://www.dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/ucdc.* Can I still shoot those species?Yes, but laws require hunters to retrieve any shot ducks, andshovelers or goldeneye killed this season will count in the daily baglimit.* What about eating other duck species?None of the other five species tested averaged high enough levelsof mercury for an advisory, though some individual ducks were abovethe recommended levels.