Residents of several low-income East Bay communities experience daily dietary health hazards, widening already significant health disparities in the Bay Area. Toxic waste in surrounding waters, heavily fished by immigrant, African American and Latino families, has raised the methylmercury content in the diets of our most vulnerable populations. Mercury is of particular concern because it can impair brain development in babies. In 2002, MYA launched a community-led, community-designed research study that was conducted to investigate public awareness of fish consumption advisories. Two surveys were partly designed, administered and tabulated by our team of high school student interns in the YEAH! leadership program. A total of 232 participants were surveyed at local fishing spots and supermarkets. Through analysis of this data, we found that many community members are fishing in highly contaminated fishing spots and are unaware of local fish consumption advisories. Furthermore, many of the residents who are aware of the fish advisories continue to consume fish in excess of EPA recommended levels.
