TYLER, Texas (KETK) – The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued fish consumption advisories for several lakes in East Texas and beyond. These advisories can be issued for mercury, ciguatoxin, dioxins, dieldrin and polychlorinated biphenyls being present in fish populations.

Mercury causes heavy metal poisoning, ciguatoxin causes vomiting, diarrhea and numbness, dioxins are carcinogens, dieldrin can cause Parkinson’s disease and breast cancer and PCB’s can cause skin conditions and cancer.

These East Texas lakes, rivers and creeks have the following consumption advisories from the Texas Department of State Health Services:

The Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River in Anderson, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Henderson, Kaufman, Navarro and Tarrant counties.

Chemicals of concern:

  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Dioxins

Advisories:

  • Persons should not consume any species of fish from these waters.

Lake Livingston and Trinity River from US Highway 287 to US 90 in Anderson, Freestone, Houston, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties.

Chemicals of concern:

  • Dioxins
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Advisories:

  • Persons should not consume any species of gar from these waters.
  • Adults should limit consumption of certain fish species as indicated below. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should not consume the indicated fishes from these waters.
    • Blue and flathead catfish: no more than one 8-ounce serving per month.
    • Smallmouth buffalo: no more than one 8-ounce serving per month.
    • Freshwater drum: no more than two 8-ounce servings per month.
  • For white bass and striped bass, adults are advised to limit consumption to three 8-ounce servings per month. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should consume no more than one 8-ounce serving per month.

The Neches River and all contiguous waters from State Highway 7 bridge west of Lufkin downstream to the US 96 bridge near Evadale, including B.A. Steinhagen and Sam Rayburn reservoirs in Angelina, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, Trinity and Tyler counties.

Chemicals of concern:

  • Dioxins
  • Mercury

Advisories:

  • Adults should limit consumption of certain fish species as indicated below. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should not consume the indicated fishes from these waters.
  • Smallmouth buffalo: Do not eat.
  • Flathead catfish and gar: No more than one eight-ounce serving per month.
  • Blue catfish over 30 inches long, largemouth bass over 16 inches and spotted bass over 16 inches: No more than two eight-ounce servings per month.

Clear Lake in Panola County

Chemical of concern:

  • Mercury

Advisories:

  • For largemouth bass, freshwater drum and bowfin, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.
  • Women of childbearing age who are or might become pregnant, or who are nursing should not consume largemouth bass, freshwater drum or bowfin from this lake.

Hills Lake in Panola County

Chemical of concern:

  • Mercury

Advisories:

  • For largemouth bass and freshwater drum, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.
  • Women of childbearing age who are or might become pregnant, or who are nursing should not consume largemouth bass or freshwater drum from this lake.

Big Cypress Creek in Marion County; Caddo Lake in Harrison and Marion counties; and Toledo Bend Reservoir in Newton, Panola, Sabine and Shelby counties.

Chemical of concern:

  • Mercury

Advisories:

  • All Locations: For largemouth bass and freshwater drum, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.

Lake Kimball in Hardin and Tyler counties and Lake Pruitt (Black Cypress Creek) in Cass County.

Chemical of concern:

  • Mercury

Advisories:

  • For all species of fish, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.

Lone Star Lake (aka Ellison Creek Reservoir) in Morris County.

Chemicals of concern:

  • Dioxins
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Advisories:

  • Persons should not consume common carp or hybrid striped bass from this reservoir.
  • For channel catfish, flathead catfish, spotted gar and sunfishes, adults should limit consumption to one eight-ounce meal per month. For largemouth and white bass, adults should consume no more than two eight-ounce meals per month.
  • Children under 12 and women of childbearing age should not consume channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, hybrid striped bass, sunfishes, common carp or spotted gar from this reservoir; and should limit consumption of largemouth bass to no more than one four-ounce meal per month.

Lake Daingerfield in Morris County and Lake Ratcliff in Houston County.

Chemical of concern:

  • Mercury

Advisories:

  • For largemouth bass, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.

“Our consumption advisories may recommend limited or no consumption of fish or aquatic life from a body of water,” Texas Department of State Health Services said. “This is because tests found contaminants at unsafe levels. Eating more fish or aquatic life than our consumption advisory recommends may pose potential human health risks.”

To see which Texas bodies of water don’t have consumption advisories visit the Texas Department of State Health Services online.