Pollutants found in Lake Erie fish

BUFFALO, N.Y., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Researchers say they've seen high levels of industrial pollutants in carp in eastern Lake Erie, highlighting the effects of human activity on the Great Lakes.

Scientists from upstate institutions including the University of Buffalo say elevated levels were found of polychlorinated biphenyls, compounds once used in products including motor oils, adhesives, paints, plastics, pigments and dyes, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, a class of flame-retardants found in common household items such as furniture, personal computers, consumer electronics and drapes, a university release said Friday.

Both PCBs and PBDEs can disrupt functions of the endocrine system that regulates bodily processes such as growth and development, reproduction and response to stress, researchers say.

"Many people have documented these pollutants in fish in the Great Lakes, but most studies that have been done are more on the western part of Lake Erie and in the other lakes," Diana Aga, a UB professor of chemistry, said.

"What we're doing here is to document specifically what's happening in eastern Lake Erie, which is interesting because it can be easily impacted by industries and human activities in the Buffalo area."

The discovery of high levels of PCBs in carp underscores the staying power the chemicals have in the environment.

A ban on the production of PCBs has been in place in the United States since 1979, but scientists working in the Great Lakes and elsewhere have continued to find accumulations of the substance in fish, the UB release said.