Historical Perspective of Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisory Guidance
In the 1990s, EPA developed the four-volume Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories for state, local, regional and Tribal environmental health officials in response to the need for a standardized risk-based approach for developing fish consumption advisories across different jurisdictions.
Volume 1: Fish Sampling and Analysis, Third Edition (November 2000, EPA 823-B-00-007) provides information on sampling strategies for a contaminant monitoring program. Volume 2: Risk Assessment and Fish Consumption Limits, Third Edition (November 2000, EPA 823-B-00-008) provides guidance on the development of appropriate meal sizes and frequency of meal consumption for the target analytes that bioaccumulate in fish tissues. The five-step process described in the Developing Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisories website includes and supersedes content from Volumes 1 and 2. [NOTE FOR USERS TO OBTAIN OLD COPIES]
Volume 3: Risk Management (pdf) (August 1996, EPA 823-B-96-006) provides an overview of a risk management framework. This volume provides a framework for selecting and implementing various options for reducing health risks associated with the consumption of chemically contaminated fish and shellfish.
As the initial step in updating the four volume set of fish consumption advisory documents, Volume 4: Risk Communication (March 1995) was updated in a website format in 2021 titled Develop Risk Communication Programs for Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisories. The information is intended for state, territory, and Tribal program managers who are developing and implementing risk communication materials for fish consumption advisories.