Download as a PDF - CiteSeerX

anthropogenic activities are polluting these systems (Heath, 1999). Furthermore, fish
are captured from many of the water bodies in South Africa by recreational and
subsistence fisherman, while commercial fishing and cage culture are undertaken at
selected systems. Therefore, certain sections of the South African population that
consume fish may be at risk from the possible exposure to contaminants accumulated
by fish captured from freshwater systems. Information regarding the possible health
risk due to the consumption of fish from the freshwater systems in South Africa is
therefore urgently required.
The general objective of this paper is to provide a generic methodology that would
give guidance in the undertaking of fish contaminant surveys in South Africa to provide
information regarding the possible health risk if the fish are consumed by recreational
and subsistence fishermen (Heath et al., 2004a,b). It must, however, be stressed
that developing and implementing methodologies to manage and reduce the human
health risk associated with the consumption of freshwater fish will also benefit the
aquatic ecosystem at large. The ecosystem will benefit, as the ultimate goal of the
management strategy would be to protect the freshwater aquatic environment and
to put remedial actions in place that would ensure that the fish populations of the
system are fit for present and future human consumption.
METHODOLOGY DEVELOPED USING FISH TO DETERMINE POLLUTION
AND HUMAN HEALTH RISK
Although the United States of America has issued fish contaminant advisories since
the mid-1970s the various Agencies have employed different methods to estimate
the risks to human health from the consumption of chemically contaminated fish.
Subsequently the United States of America Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) has developed a series of four documents to provide guidance to Agencies
issuing fish consumption advisories for non-commercial fishing (USEPA, 1995a,b,
1996, 1997). From these documents it is evident that a fish consumption advisory
programme should consist of:
• fish sampling and analysis, therefore the collection of contaminant data,
• risk assessment,
• risk management and
• a risk communication and associated health advisory programme.
However, much of the information and guidance provided in these documents has a
wider application and could assist in the development of any investigation related to
the assessment of contaminant levels in fish and shellfish.
In order to promote the use of fish to determine both ecological contamination
and human health risk, two publications were developed in South Africa entitled:
‘An Overview Guide to Determine the Human Health Risks of Eating South African
Freshwater Fish’ (Heath et al., 2004a) and a ‘Reference Guide to Determine the
Human Health Risks of Eating South African Freshwater Fish’ (Heath et al., 2004b).
The fundamentals of the methodology are based on catchment information (possible
anthropogenic activities that can result in chemical pollution), socio-demographic
154