Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Evidently, chemical contaminants are everywhere in our environment.
Every fish sample from 500 lake and reservoir sampling sites in the lower 48 states contained mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), according to a new study.
The National Lake Fish Tissue Study - the first of its kind - looked at 268 persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemical residues in fish.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spearheaded the effort, and two New Jersey lakes were included: an unnamed lake in Camden County and Verona Lake in Essex County.
Sources of contaminants in lakes and reservoirs include direct discharges into the water, air contaminants and agricultural or urban runoff, according to the agency.
Fish consumption advisories cover 43 percent of the nation's lake acreage, the EPA says.