February 2008 Table of Contents |
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| Stakeholders Play Key Role
Representatives from 28 organizations gathered in November 2007 at the first stakeholder workshop held as part of the Detroit River project. The purpose of the workshop was for stakeholders to gain a greater awareness of the system surrounding contaminants and their human health effects in the Detroit River. Participants identified what they believed to be the top five issues that most need to be addressed with respect to consumption advisories in the Detroit River. Workshop attendees came from both the U.S. and Canada, representing federal, state, regional and local government agencies, as well as non-and for-profit community groups. In addition, State Representative Kathleen Law (D-MI) participated in the process, while U.S. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI) also attended. |
Donna KashianCauses, Consequences and Correctives of Fish Contamination in the Detroit River
While these advisories are critically important, says University of Michigan (UM) research scientist Donna Kashian, little progress has been made in developing effective management strategies, and many uncertainties exist regarding the “drivers of these advisories.” “Despite the importance of these advisories to people who use the Detroit River, and given the large amounts of money spent on contaminant remediation, there are still many things we do not know about the causes of, and human health risks associated with, these advisories,” says Kashian. “Some of the biggest scientific uncertainties include the impact of fish movement within the river and between Lake Huron and Lake Erie on contaminant levels found in Detroit River fish, the role of specific contaminated sites in driving the advisories, and health impacts to vulnerable populations who consume large amounts of fish from the river.” With support from Michigan Sea Grant, Kashian is leading an integrated assessment to investigate the issues affecting fish consumption advisories on the Detroit River. The project focuses specifically on the reasons why fish contamination advisories for PCBs are issued when they are. Over the next two years, Kashian and her team will conduct scientific assessments that synthesize and summarize the status and trends of fish contaminant levels and advisories in the Detroit River; and describe the causes and consequences of fish consumption advisories, with an emphasis on model simulation and explanatory analysis. They’ll also identify the key uncertainties regarding consumption advisories for use in research, monitoring efforts, and in management and policy directives. A final aspect of the project will be to provide technical guidance in implementing policy and management options. In keeping with the collaborative nature of integrated assessments, the Detroit River project will bring together policy-makers, scientists, interested stakeholders, and governmental agencies from both Canada and the United States. Solutions for eliminating fish consumption advisories, according to project researchers, will likely require novel approaches directed at both decreasing contaminant levels in fish over the long term and reducing human health risks in the short- and long term. |
Despite signs of recent ecosystem improvement, the Detroit River remains under several fish consumption advisories. In technical terms, the advisories are categorized as “beneficial use impairments” that impact both human health and affect economic revenue.