Mercury amounts still significant in Virginia fish

By Holly Fleming

Published on March 23, 2006

Many different Virginia river fish still have mercury levels of 0.5 parts per million (ppm) or higher. The action level set by the Virginia Department of Health is 0.5 ppm.

According to the agency's report, most of the contaminated fish had mercury levels averaging between 0.5 and 1.5 ppm. The highest mercury levels were found in Virginia's South River, where the mercury levels ranged from 1.36 to 2.66 ppm.

Du Pont Company in Waynesboro, Va. used mercury for fiber production from 1929 until 1950. The mercury contamination of Virginia's South River was discovered in the 1970s.

Du Pont established a trust fund in 1984 after reaching a settlement with the State Water Control Board. The trust fund finances a 100-year monitoring program for mercury. DEQ manages this fund in collaboration with the South River Science Team; their long-term goal is to take samples from fish, water, and sediment in order to manage and reduce mercury levels in river fish.

Comment on this article →