A group of doctors in Gippsland is warning patients that mercury levels in locally caught fish could be dangerously high, particularly for pregnant women.
Commercial fisherman catch about 150 tonnes each year in the Gippsland Lakes, and recreational fisherman catch at least the same amount again.
Three government studies have warned of mercury in the lakes and recommended further investigation, but the lakes’ sediment has not been tested since 2004.
A study of fish caught in the lake has not been conducted since 1997.
Paediatrician Jo McCubbin and two colleagues have started warning patients of the potential dangers.
“You certainly wouldn’t recommend pregnant women and young children should be eating the fish, and for the rest of the population, only eat [locally caught] black bream once a week,” Dr McCubbin said.
Dr McCubbin, an environmental activist, and her two colleagues have also written to Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services about their concerns and requested further testing.
“Risks to the health of people who regularly eat the fish from these waterways may be quite serious,” they wrote.
“We know there is mercury in the lakes because of past research … but we do not know if it has reached dangerous levels, as there is no ongoing comprehensive monitoring.
“We believe that public health alerts should be sent to doctors throughout Victoria as well as to the public about the potential risks, particularly for pregnant women.”
Doctors conduct their own mercury testing
The three doctors conducted their own tests on black bream caught in the lakes, and supplied ABC News with the laboratory analysis.
The analysis showed all 10 samples had mercury levels higher than the maximum safe level recommended by the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code.
In one sample, the mercury level was more than four times the maximum safe level.
Despite the doctors’ urging, Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) last tested for mercury in the sediment of the lakes in 2004, and the fish had not been tested since 1997.
Dr McCubbin said the research urgently needed to be updated, because the community had existing trust issues with government agencies.
“This region has a really severe problem with the government and its bureaucracies giving adequate information to the community,” she said.
“During the Hazelwood mine fire, people thought they were keeping secrets because they gave such vague answers to our questions.”
The EPA declined to be interviewed, but issued a statement saying “the available evidence indicates that fish sourced from the Gippsland Lakes are safe to consume”.
“[The Department of Health and Human Services] will be conducting a follow-up study to validate the results of previous studies, and to identify whether there have been any changes to the levels of mercury in fish over recent years,” the statement read.
“EPA will continue to contribute its scientific expertise to this study.”
Acting Chief Health Officer Professor Michael Ackland also declined to be interviewed, but issued a statement.
“Available information on the concentration of mercury reported in fish from the Gippsland Lakes indicates it complies with health guidelines established in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code,” it read.
No research behind mercury concerns: fishermen
Gary Leonard is one of 10 estuary fishermen on the lakes.
On the morning he spoke to ABC News he had caught about 130 kilograms of fish, mostly black bream, sea mullet, luderick, silver trevally and yellow-eye mullet.
“From here I go straight to the fishermen’s cooperative where we weigh them, ice them, then put them in cool storage,” Mr Leonard said.
“They go on a truck to Melbourne tonight and they’re sold before daylight tomorrow.”
His fish end up on plates across the country.
“I don’t think the concerns about mercury have any real basis behind it, any real research or anything,” he said.
“The EPA says it’s all fine, so we stick with them.”
But he said he would like them to do fresh studies.
“As long as we get a bit of validation to say our fish are fine, it would be good,” he said.
Three previous studies have identified mercury in the Gippsland Lakes, and recommended further investigation.
Another study led by Dr Kate Charlton-Robb identified high levels of mercury in a threatened dolphin species only found in the lakes and Port Phillip Bay.
“We’ve found quite high levels of mercury within these dolphins, so the need to keep monitoring those levels in the current population is crucial,” she said.
“The dolphin deaths we saw during 2006 – 2008 were quite high … but it’s quite difficult to attribute the cause of those deaths to mercury. It’s obviously a factor we need to consider though.”
Federation University student Adam Trewarn has just started a PhD investigating heavy metals in the lakes.
“It could be arsenic, mercury, but it really is an unknown at the minute, so we look at all the elements that could possibly be there and which ones are elevated above guideline levels,” Mr Trewarn said.
He said his study would look at what caused heavy metals to present.
“Anything within the catchment really, land clearing, agriculture, historical mining, pretty much anything that can cause something to flow into a river can have an impact.”