Doctors, nurses, and other health practitioners have so much information to cover in medical school. Practitioners are taught techniques and treatments to help their patients, gather an understanding of the human body, and gain experience in the medical field. This critical period of time transfers over into how they practice in their field. For many educational programs, environmental health is not included. As we learn more about our environment, we understand how it can affect our health as it relates to both chronic and infectious diseases.
Practitioners can earn continuing education credits and learn more about fish consumption and contaminants related to fish consumption through the following resources:
Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Contaminants related to fish consumption:
Polychlorinated Biphenols (PCB's)
Perfluoroalkyls (PFAS)
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH's)
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE's)
Materials that practitioners can distribute in their offices include the following:
Indiana Fish Consumption Guidelines Fact Sheet: This factsheet describes the importance of fish consumption and the recommendations. It also discusses the fish consumption advisory program.
A Woman's Guide to Eating Indiana Fish: Brochure developed by Indiana State Department of Health, to provide sensitive populations such as pregnant and breast-feeding women with fish consumption advice.
Safe Seafood Consumption Serving and Selecting It U.S. Food and Drug Administration website provides tips on how to select fresh seafood and how to properly prepare it.
The resources below were created using grant funds provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and contain information on healthy fish consumption habits. Each of these materials have been translated into English, Spanish, German, Hakha Chin, and Burmese.
- Healthy Fish Consumption Poster
- Healthy Fish Consumption Handout
- Healthy Fish Consumption Wallet Card
- Angler Fishing Ruler
- Safe Fish Regional Brochure
- Grand Calumet River Basin
- St. Joseph River Basin
- Maumee River Basin