I think drinking the water is fine when filtered, but I'm not sure I know how to interpret that fish consumption warning. I looked for lakes with the PCB warning icon but I was not successful. I did find lakes where "*" (asterisk) meant unlimited. Does that mean the lakes I looked at were not tested? Tested and have very low levels? ... ? Can we infer that Quetico is simular? Should we? Ignorance is bliss - right?

If your wondering about Quetico, The Ministry of the Environment has 2 .pdf's you can download.

Or here they are directily:
Northern Ontario inland lakes (.pdf format 549k/38 pages)

Introductory section (.pdf format 1.08M/33 pages)

I was aware that mercury was a problem. Deet is also a concern. I have resigned myself to the probability of the harmful effects of UV exposure. It's too bad falling down and cracking my head open isn't the only thing I have to worry about.

Bottom line? If you ate it all year long you might want to think twice. At least you have the ability to make an informed decision. Personally? Just thinking about Walleye makes my mouth water. That reminds me - I need a new fork.

Posted by db on April 07, 2000 at 17:24