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DPH: Do not eat land crabs in Tanapag
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Posted on Oct 06 2000
The Department of Public Health yesterday asked the people to refrain from eating land crabs caught in Tanapag area as a precautionary measure after preliminary sampling results showed that five land crabs had detectable levels of polychlorinated biphenyl.
DPH Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said the PCB levels in the land crabs are below the standard established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fish. “These detectable levels, however, do approach the more conservative guidelines of U.S. EPA,”he added.
The preliminary land crab consumption advisory issued by DPH was based on very limited and preliminary sampling results on land crabs caught in Tanapag village, in and around the vicinity of Cemetery 2, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
During the risk assessment survey conducted last May, eight land crabs were taken within the Tanapag area but only five land crabs had detectable levels of PCB.
As a result, the EPA is planning to undertake a more in-depth and extensive sampling effort of land crabs in the Tanapag village in the near future. “Until such time that the results from a more extensive sampling are available, the public is hereby advised to refrain from eating land crabs caught in the Tanapag area,” Mr. Villagomez added.
The U.S. Army Corps contractor, the Environmental Chemical Corp., is currently conducting a massive cleanup of Cemetery No. 2 due to high level of PCB contamination in the area.
EPA will seek the assistance of a panel of experts which include representatives from the Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control to help design a follow-up survey that will help aid health and environment officials in making decisions.
The land crabs taken were among the samples of food gathered five months ago by EPA representatives as part of the assessment on food and the environment in the village.
EPA said the sample survey was designed to look for areas where there’s high PCB concentration and to characterize the overall quality of food. Food items such as taro, yam, clams, chicken eggs and fish did not yield any PCB level during the testing. Likewise, the groundwater samples taken from Lower Base and Tanapag were found safe from PCB contamination.
