The Trinity River in Tarrant County, Dallas County, and six other Texas counties is so heavily contaminated with chemicals that eating its fish could lead to serious health problems according to the Texas health department.
While fishing in the Trinity has not been banned, the government agency has advised people not to eat anything they catch. Tests indicate fish in the river have elevated levels of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which degrade very slowly. Consumption of fish contaminated by the chemicals may eventually cause cancer and liver, immune system and reproductive problems, among other health concerns, the agency warned.
The warnings for the Trinity River are not new, in 2002 the state began cautioning fisherman about eating fish they catch from cetain areas of the river, but now the dangerous area has been expanded.
Industrial chemicals
PCBs are industrial chemicals were commonly used in caulk, cooling and insulating fluids for transformers and capacitors, flame retardants, and floor finish and paint from the 1930s through 1977. The EPA banned PCBs in 1979, but items containing it did not have to be replaced. The chemicals, which are odorless and tasteless, persist in the environment because they are very difficult to destroy and degrade slowly.
PCB levels in fish of about 0.047 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) or higher may pose a risk to human health, according to state standards. The levels in fish from the Trinity River averaged more than three times that much, at 0.185 mg/kg, though some ranged as high as 1.301 mg/kg, state officials said.
Once PCB’s are in your body, they will endure a long time.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is scheduled to work with the EPA to clean up a 150-mile stretch of the river.
If you or someone you know has been exposed to toxic chemicals in Texas or anywhere around the country, please contact our Benzene Exposure Attorneys today at benzene@smslegal.com for information about your possible claims.