A Friendly Reminder From DEP: Don’t Eat Toxic Crabs

Don't eat toxic crabs AND fish

[Update – like clockwork – this would be funny if it were not so sad. Exactly what we predicted on the media coverage.]

Back in a May 4, 2011 post, we (correctly) accused DEP of suppressing warnings about the health risks of eating toxic contaminated fish and shellfish, see: Health Risks From Eating NJ Fish Suppressed.

If we had a functioning press corps, that would have been seen as a scandal.

Well, today, 10 weeks later, DEP finally issued a friendly “reminder” – we suspect that the media stenographers will dutifully regurgitate DEP’s press release:

DEP ISSUES REMINDER ABOUT BAN ON BLUE CLAW CRABBING
HEALTHY LOOKING CRABS POSE HEALTH RISK

But DEP continues to downplay the magnitude of the problem and has maintained the arrogant posture of blaming the public for “not comprehending the problem”:

“Some people don’t want to believe there is a problem,” said Gary Buchanan, manager of the DEP’s Office of Science, which has extensively studied these waters. “Because these crabs look really healthy, many people may not truly comprehend the problem and, as a result, ignore our warnings. But those crabs are not healthy and should not be eaten.”

Yes Mr. Buchanan, some people remain in denial or are ignorant of the problem.

And, as we’ve noted, some of those people are employed in high places at DEP!

And what about all the other fish and shellfish species that are unsafe to eat, in addition to blue crab?

Our May 4 post provided links and documentation of all those problems as well. We urge readers to be fully informed.

(full disclosure: I was forced out of DEP in 1995 for leaking internal DEP documents that revealed that then DEP Commissioner Shinn and Governor Whitman were planning to suppress a scientific study that documented health risks associated with statewide freshwater fish mercury contamination).

[Endote: DEP is self serving spinning the Passaic litigation angle - notice how they promote risk assessments that support their litigation positions, but suppress all other health effects research, risk assessment and standards development activities in the Department. My guess is that ENGO’s sound bites will take the bait too.]