Each year, we do a story on consumption advisories for fish in local waters, and each year, those stories never fail to attract attention and stir debate—and raise new questions.
Earlier this week, in our print editions, we reported on the S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control’s newly updated list of advisories on how much fish we could eat from various rivers and lakes—and still be safe from toxic mercury.
There are relatively few changes in those advisories from year to year, and that’s because the level of mercury in our fish remains fairly similar. Its buildup in fish tissue is a gradual, longterm consequence of the use of mercury in industrial processes—and its natural presence as part of our environment.