LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — This summer weather in the Midlands often entices fishermen to take advantage of Lake Murray, the Saluda and Congaree rivers.
Fish expert Sean Wittenberg said people need to be aware of mercury levels in fish.
According to the results of a national survey of high-frequency fish consumers in the U.S. by the Environmental Research Journal, as many as 19 million people in the U.S. who ate fish that they caught themselves three or more times a week were exposed to mercury concentrations high enough to result in adverse health effects.
That means we need to watch what we eat, including the fish we eat from the Saluda and Congaree rivers, as well as Lake Murray and Lake Wateree.
So where does the mercury come from?
According to fish expert Sean Wittenberg, president of mercury-conscious seafood company Safe Catch, small amounts are already within fish, but it's supplemented.
"When you burn the coal in the smoke there's elemental mercury HD. That elemental mercury goes up within the smoke and up into the environment and as it gets exposed to water, a new organic compound is formed called methyl mercury and methyl mercury is a very dangerous compound that's a neurotoxin and it's sticky and it likes to stick to plant life and small microorganisms and things like plankton and then small fish eat the plant life and microorganisms," Wittenberg said.
He said all of this is connected: the environment, food purity, and health.
SCDHEC lists fish advisories on its website. For example, saying you should only eat one meal of largemouth bass a week, one meal of bowfin per month and no restrictions on white bass.
"The pollution of today doesn't instantly end up in the fish. It has to work its way through the environmental cycle," Wittenberg said.
Wittenberg hopes that education, like checking DHEC's website before fishing to eat and being more environmentally conscious, will help reduce this pollution.
If copious amounts are digested, he adds mercury can ruin cognitive function, motor skills and memory.
But Wittenberg said Omega 3 in fish greatly benefits your brain, muscles and more. He tells News 19 it's about being more aware of the risks and educated on the rewards.
Wittenberg said you should eat two to three seafood dishes a week to get the correct nutrients.