NEWS RELEASE
March 4, 1998

MDCH '98 Fish Advisory Focuses on Women & Children

Women and children are the focus of Michigan=s 1998 sport fish advisory, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) said today. The advisory, a scientific assessment of contaminants in Michigan sport fish, is contained in a new 64-page booklet published by MDCH.

ABecause children and certain women are potentially more sensitive to contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, the new advisory adds a section of advice especially for them,@ said David R. Johnson, MD, MDCH Deputy Director and Chief Medical Executive. AThis section is particularly targeted at women who are pregnant or nursing, women who intend to have children, and children under 15.@

Through a convenient color-coded format, the advisory shows safe consumption limits for types and sizes of fish that are caught in specific bodies of water. The 1998 advisory contains more than 500 listings. Nearly 300 are for fish caught in the Great Lakes and connected bodies of water. More than 200 listings cover fish taken from inland lakes. The 1997 advisory contained 115 listings. AThe 1998 advisory expands the advice significantly and provides more detailed information about fish consumption in general,@ Johnson said. AMuch of the expanded advice is due to the additional category for women and children.@ The advisory also provides consumption listings for women beyond childbearing years and men.

The new advisory format received concurrence from the Michigan Environmental Science Board (MESB) in January. The MESB concluded that the approach, which provides separate advice to the two population segments, has a sound basis in the available scientific literature and makes good public health sense. The format also provides a cautious protective value for the more sensitive unborn and young children without being overprotective for the rest of the population, the MESB said.

The 1998 fish advisory will be available to anglers where they buy their fishing license. Women may receive the advisory through Women, Infant and Children clinics, local public health departments, many physicians= offices and other locations. Copies are also available from the MDCH health promotion clearinghouse at 1-800-626-4636. A total of 1.5 million copies will be distributed. It is accessible on the MDCH web site at www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/fishadvi.htm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Geralyn Lasher
March 4, 1998 517-241-2112