Health officials, hoping to raise awareness about mercury-tainted fish, have begun posting warning signs at fishing holes and lakes across South Carolina. Biologists have found high levels of mercury in many regions of the state. More than 1,700 miles of river in South Carolina have fish with high levels of mercury.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and it has been linked to nervous disorders, brain damage and other health problems.
Some signs also will identify waters that have high levels of fecal-coliform bacteria from human or animal waste.