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WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2002

The Environmental Protection Agency this week is releasing a study that concludes that Columbia River tribes in the Pacific Northwest face a high risk for cancer and other diseases due to toxic pollutants in fish.

The EPA began researching the issue in 1989 along with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. The commission represents four treaty tribes in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The study shows that heavy dependence on fish increases the risk of disease. For example, tribal members who eat large amounts of sturgeon have a 2 in 100 risk of cancer compared to the general population, whose risk falls between 1 in a million and 1 in 10,000.

Get the Story:
Toxic fish imperil tribes (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/31)

Relevant Links:
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission - http://www.critfc.org