Great oped this morning by Laura Skelton of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility and Steve Gilbert of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders:

Gov. Jay Inslee and the Department of Ecology have raised Washington’s FCR from a measly 6.5 grams per day to 175 grams per day to better protect consumers. However, with that increase comes a tenfold increase in cancer risk, from one in a million to one in 100,000. Taken together, these two changes counterbalance each other, leaving levels of many toxic chemicals, including PCBs, mercury, and arsenic, exactly the same.

This is cause for serious concern. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Washington, and there should be no allowance for more cancer in our communities. The decision to raise cancer risk also unfairly impacts communities that rely on local fish, which includes tribal members, Asian-Pacific islanders, and commercial and recreational fishermen.