Are the Pennsylvania consumption advisories consistent with the FDA tolerance or action levels?
Yes. Consumption advisories are consistent with FDA levels. They use the same “DO NOT EAT” level as the FDA and extend meal-specific advice to fish containing lower levels of PCBs. You may visualize the FDA tolerance levels for PCBs in commercial fish as a traffic signal with just a red lens and a green lens. If the PCB levels are below 2 ppm, the light is green, and there are no warnings about eating the fish. If the levels are 2 ppm or higher, the light is red, and consumers are advised NOT to eat the fish. Consumption advisories are akin to a traffic light with a red lens, a large yellow lens that glows at various intensities, and a green lens. Under PCB consumption advisories, the red light comes on at exactly the same time as it does under FDA tolerance levels (2 ppm). What’s different is that the yellow light comes on for PCB levels between 1.9 and 0.06 ppm, and the green light does not come on until the levels are below 0.06 ppm.
Related Questions
- How do FDA standards figure into this? Doesn Pennsylvania use Great Lakes protocols for determining consumption advisories?
- Are the Pennsylvania consumption advisories consistent with the FDA tolerance or action levels?
- Where can I find consumption advisories that are in effect for fish in Pennsylvania?
