KY officials want lower Ohio River off mercury warning list

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials are trying to get the lower half of the Ohio River removed from a list of state waterways that feature warnings against eating fish possibly contaminated with mercury.

WDRB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1ezwRXX ) the state’s Division of Water submitted a proposal earlier this month to get 370 miles of the river off the warning list. That area stretches from Jefferson County west to where the Ohio flows into the Mississippi River.

Judy Petersen, executive director of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, says she is surprised by the news because she is unaware of any new data that points to mercury levels in Ohio River fish decreasing.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the mercury that people absorb when eating contaminated fish has been linked to neurological problems in infants and children.

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Information from: WDRB-TV, http://www.fox41.com

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