More testing of Willamette fish sought 11

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--> --> More testing of Willamette fish sought The Associated Press PORTLAND - A federal health official said more studies are necessary to determine whether fish caught in the Willamette River have dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in their flesh and are unsafe to eat. John Crellin, an epidemiologist with the Atlanta-based Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said Thursday he will recommend testing several species of fish from river in a report he plans to write to the Environmental Protection Agency. With the additional data health officials could determine whether fish are accumulating contaminants at levels that threaten human health and wildlife, Crellin said. "There's just not the kind of data we need to do a health assessment. We need more fish," he said. Officials with the EPA and the Lower Willamette Group, a newly formed group of landowners who are potentially liable for the pollution, said they were not surprised by Crellin's conclusion. They said some form of fish testing was expected as part of the investigation into the breadth and sources of pollution in the river. That testing probably won't start for a year or two. Crellin said the only source of data he has found were from tests undertaken last year by The Oregonian newspaper, which found elevated levels of banned industrial chemicals in lower Willamette River fish. But that study did not contain enough samples, he said. The newspaper tested carp, crappie and smallmouth bass from the lower 26 miles of the river. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing