AFTER THE destruction of some 700 fish pens in Dagupan City, fish pen operations in the city may likely take another beating with the note of caution recently issued by the sanggunian panglunsod.

Taking the side of caution, the Dagupan City government is advising the public to refrain from eating the intestines of fish, including the popular bangus, harvested from the city’s rivers.

The city council last week passed a resolution requesting concerned government agencies to determine whether the traces of toxic heavy metals in the city waters is at dangerous levels.

The note of caution issued by the city council will inevitably impact on the operation of fish pens in the city’s rivers.

Councilor Jesus Canto, chair of the committee on health in the city council, said the council suspects that toxic heavy metals from the mines in Benguet may have been carried into Dagupan’s rivers through the floodwater last month.

The Department of Agriculture and its Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Department of Health have been asked to determine whether the Pantal River as well as the Lingayen Gulf remain safe from the presence of metal substances like mercury, cadmium, lead, and silver, among others.

The council cited the urgency as it threatens the aquaculture industry in Dagupan and adjacent towns.

Canto said ingestion of mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, silver and others can cause cancer and even autism to the younger population.

Canto, however, cautioned against any hasty association of an increasing number of people getting sick of cancer and children afflicted with autism to the toxic metals. —LM

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