Ominous foretelling for Hunters and Fishing folks
Maine warns hunters to throw out deer and turkey meat after tests reveal high levels of Forever Chemicals in the soil in certain areas of the State. The Forever Chemicals (PFAS) in the Maine cases were PFOA and PFOS, two known carcinogenic substances. What is even more bewildering in Maine is that these “do not eat” advisories were initially issued in 2021! It appears the area of contamination is growing, as is the square mileage under this advisory.
What about fishing? The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded a weekly fish fillet is safe to eat if tests show it contains less than 3.5 parts per billion of PFOS. This group sets monthly or yearly limits if the PFOS levels surpass 7.5, 15 and 30 ppb, and a do-not-eat-at-all advisory once PFOS levels top 60 ppb!
Michigan (1st state to receive 404 delegations from Feds) was the first state to test for PFAS in white-tailed deer & issued a “do not eat” advisory back in 2018! Michigan also recommends against eating organ meat from deer, fish and other wild game taken from anywhere in the State!
Wisconsin and New Hampshire have also issued warnings and recommendations not to eat wild game or fish due to elevated PFAS levels!
Are the folks in these states aware of where their beef and chicken are raised? What about the feed stocks for these ‘farm raised’ commodities?
Always remember the EPA’s statement, “there is no safe level of PFAS.”
References
Maine stocks PFAS-laden waters with fish, warns ‘do not eat’