Study: U.S. freshwater fish 'significant' source of 'forever chemicals' in blood

https://www.floridatoday.com/s...n-blood/69809022007/

https://www.stcroix360.com/202...s-water-for-a-month/

PFAS found at high levels in freshwater fish, with most concern for vulnerable communities.

EWG found the median amounts of PFAS in freshwater fish were an astounding 280 times greater than forever chemicals detected in some commercially caught and sold fish. The testing data, from the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration, showed that consuming a single meal of freshwater fish could lead to similarPFAS exposure as ingesting store-bought fish every day for a year.

“People who consume freshwater fish, especially those who catch and eat fish regularly, are at risk of alarming levels of PFAS in their bodies,” said David Andrews, Ph.D., EWG senior scientist and one of the study’s lead authors. “Growing up, I went fishing every week and ate those fish. But now when I see fish, all I think about is PFAS contamination.”

“These test results are breathtaking,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs. “Eating one bass is equivalent to drinking PFOS-tainted water for a month.”

Consumption of PFOS-contaminated freshwater fish can cause significant increases in peoples’ blood serum levels of the forever chemical, creating potential health risks. Even infrequent consumption of freshwater fish can raise PFOS levels in the body.

“The extent that PFAS has contaminated fish is staggering”, said Nadia Barbo, a graduate student at Duke University and lead researcher on this project. “There should be a single health protective fish consumption advisory for freshwater fish across the country.”

https://www.ewg.org/news-insig...quals-month-drinking

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-...h-month-tainted.html

Eating one wild fish same as month of drinking tainted water: study

https://www.google.com/search?...nt=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1

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Alaska:

https://www.google.com/search?...nt=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1

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Georgia:

https://dph.georgia.gov/enviro...nsumption-guidelines

Fish Consumption Guidelines from Georgia waters

Note the area recommended for one meal per month

And For pregnant women the recommendations seem to not have been revised since 2008.

There are the general recommendations (PDF downloads) which were updated in 2021.

To understand these and actually use them to decide where to go fishing is difficult and certainly requires knowledge of the geography of the state. Then there's the question of trusting them. None of them, as far as I can see, mention PFAS chemicals.

For examples:

The places I used to fish in Georgia are now polluted beyond the measure I want to tolerate. The Flint, and Altamaha rivers for example.

So, I don't fish there anymore.

Looking at the GA gov published consumption guidelines offers some clues of how bad it is, but they cannot be trusted, IMO, because of intentionally underfunded testing. And who decides how much tainted fish is acceptable anyway?

There are some places that may be OK, such as along the coast - Cumberland Island estuaries, and at least one public fishing area in SE Georgia. But much of it is not tested, by site nor species and not recently. None of the river basin drainages are safe.

So, I looked carefully at some likely possibilities. I used Google Earth to study the terrain and drainage. What I looked for was a small body of water, lake or pond, of several hundred acres, accessible. I looked for a short drainage basin not surrounded by ag and had no industry or municipalities up stream.

So far, I found two in Georgia. There may be more, but two are enough for now and they are within reasonable driving distance. They are both State Parks, so safe camping and good facilities are highly likely. They also limit the horsepower for outboards to 10hp. I'll use an electric trolling motor. They also limit permission to fish to paid guests at the campground. There are about 20 sites at each park. Reservations are suggested.

Both parks have boat launches, and camping guests are allowed to bring their own boat. One of the campgrounds has all the camping sites lakeside, and campers are allowed to bring their own boat around to their site, overnight.

The rates are very reasonable, and I will be glad if such places turn out to be as good as they look.

I am interested in learning about other places, all over the USA, with access and assured or high probability of catching untainted fish.

Just like an overstocked cow-pasture…the shit stacks up! Wait ‘til Mike Mitchell starts desalinating the oceans…you ain’t seen nothing yet!

An overstocked cow pasture is who's fault?

It's obviously a choice of management - short-term greed vs long-term sustainability.

Who is in charge of the metaphorical "cow pasture"?

And, the tainted fish problem is not caused by overstocking. It's a different problem.

It looks to me like it's a problem of under-regulation or under-enforcement of regulation. And it seems that often legislature just doesn't adequately fund testing, especially testing that is most likely to produce results of tainted environments, which could be directly attributed to poor management on their part.

GOPer legislatures favor disinformation and ignorance to the public on matters like this. Adequate scientific testing and data would be too difficult to deny.

Not in KY.

Our Fish and Wildlife announced last year all fisheries were contaminated.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
An overstocked cow pasture is who's fault?

It's obviously a choice of management - short-term greed vs long-term sustainability.

Who is in charge of the metaphorical "cow pasture"?

And, the tainted fish problem is not caused by overstocking. It's a different problem.

It looks to me like it's a problem of under-regulation or under-enforcement of regulation. And it seems that often legislature just doesn't adequately fund testing, especially testing that is most likely to produce results of tainted environments, which could be directly attributed to poor management on their part.

GOPer legislatures favor disinformation and ignorance to the public on matters like this. Adequate scientific testing and data would be too difficult to deny.

It is caused by the needs and wants of a burgeoning population. It is only going to get worse until the pasture can’t sustain the herd.

Go back to cloth diapers, washed pop/beer bottles, and people carrying a watercan with a tin cup.

That^^^would put off the inevitable for a while…until it becomes necessary for Mike to start desalinating the oceans — which will mark the beginning of the end.

Waste is a by-product of humanity.

At some stage there will be no freshwater for fish to even live in.

Keep up the exploding population trend and there will be no more public hunting and fishing anyway.

Frankly at my age I don’t give a shit. I go to a south GA fish fry at least 2-3 times a month out in the country. The fish are suckers netted by my BIL in the Flint River and simply delicious. During dove season the fry is followed by a dove shoot. Priceless….

In SC the advisory is to eat no more than one meal a week of bass, bream, crappie, etc., and one per month of catfish. Primary offender is mercury. PCB's to a lesser extent.

I am afraid it will get worse before it gets better.
The big push to solar. Solar panels have cadmium. Cadmium is more toxic than mercury, and unlike mercury, has no treatment.
Cadmium is water soluble. There are panels on the edge of rivers,lakes and beside wetlands. One rain is enough to wash cadmium from a broken panel into the waterways.
I spoke to our legislators about this. I wanted to know about checking for cracked or broken panels, who it was reported to, and where they were disposed of.
I was told, they were aware of the hazard, but addressing it now could hinder the green energy push.
And, until they could get recycle facilities to cover them, the panels went into landfills.
I checked, it cost $40 on average to recycle a panel, for $4 worth of components. There needs to be a surcharge on panels for disposal at the end of the life span. Again, it wont happen.
The panels are made in China for a reason. The silicon has silicon tetrachloride as a byproduct. That in itself can dissolve even in a humid enviroment. China doesnt care about dead peasants in rural areas they dump it in.
We are doing what we do best here, kick the can down the road, and deal with problems later.

M.E., if fresh and clean fish is a priority I think you made a mistake leaving se AK.

I understand you have family and commitments but I think a semi remote home in se AK on water is about ideal for my senior living. Hydro electric for power and bountiful potable water. Deer and lots of them.

I like Dollars attitude, I can't imagine living in Georgia and worrying about pollution. It doesn't matter which political party is in office, that many folks in the same spot come with pollution.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
I am afraid it will get worse before it gets better.
The big push to solar. Solar panels have cadmium. Cadmium is more toxic than mercury, and unlike mercury, has no treatment.
Cadmium is water soluble. There are panels on the edge of rivers,lakes and beside wetlands. One rain is enough to wash cadmium from a broken panel into the waterways.
I spoke to our legislators about this. I wanted to know about checking for cracked or broken panels, who it was reported to, and where they were disposed of.
I was told, they were aware of the hazard, but addressing it now could hinder the green energy push.
And, until they could get recycle facilities to cover them, the panels went into landfills.
I checked, it cost $40 on average to recycle a panel, for $4 worth of components. There needs to be a surcharge on panels for disposal at the end of the life span. Again, it wont happen.
The panels are made in China for a reason. The silicon has silicon tetrachloride as a byproduct. That in itself can dissolve even in a humid enviroment. China doesnt care about dead peasants in rural areas they dump it in.
We are doing what we do best here, kick the can down the road, and deal with problems later.

This! And what mining for all the rare earth minerals in the third world is doing to the planet!

Green energy is terribly harmful to the ecology of the planet.

But! As long as the liberals can't see it from their backyard....well....then.....its okay!!!!

Texas Is Now the Nation’s Biggest Emitter of Toxic Substances Into Streams, Rivers and Lakes
A new report puts Texas above the Great Lakes states for industrial discharges into waterways for the first time since the analysis began in 2009.

By Dylan Baddour
September 28, 2022

https://insideclimatenews.org/...ms-rivers-and-lakes/

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https://www.google.com/search?...nt=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1

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As the article noted, runoff and wastewater from cities is a major contributor. Dog shit,birdshit, trash, that all gets washed into storm drains. It is suppose to be treated, but the treatment plants get overwhelmed and the stormwater gets pumped right on out.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
M.E., if fresh and clean fish is a priority I think you made a mistake leaving se AK.

I understand you have family and commitments but I think a semi remote home in se AK on water is about ideal for my senior living. Hydro electric for power and bountiful potable water. Deer and lots of them.

I like Dollars attitude, I can't imagine living in Georgia and worrying about pollution. It doesn't matter which political party is in office, that many folks in the same spot come with pollution.

Fresh and clean fish are a priority for me wherever I am.

I'm glad I had the Alaska experience to the extent I did, but I don't miss it much. There was good and bad, as anywhere. The winters would be tough on me now - holed up and cold. I enjoy the winters in the south much more, now. I still get to AK about average every two years, for some summer months. Last summer I brought back a good supply of fish - salmon, halibut and rock fish - frozen in my camper all the way. Honestly, that supply is enough, but I still like to go fishing in this area too.

I have a good supply of catfish fillets in my freezer, but I don't cook them often since AK fish are better. Actually, I have catfish from two sources - one from the local river and another batch from a lake in Texas which is a municipal water supply source, presumably tested for quality. I'm planning another trip there in March or April and stock up again.

Frankly, I don't believe the problem is mostly many folks clustered around. I think the water quality problems are mostly traced to ag run-off and industrial dumping, and lack of regulations, enforcement, testing and just knowledge.

So, as I explained, that's why I went to several sources and Google Earth looking for fishing spots like lakes fed with short drainage basins not surrounded by ag or downstream from industry or cities. The two I mentioned have a dam that backs up the creek, so there's no upstream navigation of fish from tainted water below.

JDollar's attitude is ok if one is easily satisfied with fried sucker. However, I've never tried it, so it's possible that I don't know what I'm missing.

Your own article you posted told of the issues of Houston area, now you dont like it?
With the cost of fertilizer, ag runoff is not the problem it once was. In the 50's, the gov was so worried about food shortages after ww2, they gave/spread phosphorus on ag land. They did it with no soil samples to determine the capacity of the soil. There is still residual phosphorus in some soils after all these years, it was so overloaded, and leaches out.
Anyone who makes a living from the land does free soil samples to know what and how much fertilizer to apply. At $800 a ton, no-one spreads it into waterways, or over applies it to run off.
How do you cook a sucker and get rid of those bones?

A little search will turn up toxic algae blooms in Lake Champlain. It turns out it was not the farms in NY and VT that caused them. It was over fertilizing of lawns in the cities on each side of the lake. They have now put limits on how much they can be fertilized.

https://insideclimatenews.org/...Oh_icJBoCsGIQAvD_BwE

Florida’s Red Tides Are Getting Worse and May Be Hard to Control Because of Climate Change
A task force appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for research and investment in mitigation. Environmentalists say the real fix is cracking down on polluters.
Aman Azhar
By Aman Azhar
January 19, 2022

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv1KGPhmOeo

What is Florida's red tide, and where does it come from?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6cWsYJB3tY

'It's catastrophic': Why more than 700 dead manatees are just the tip of the iceberg

I saw a you tube short yesterday of an excavator bucket pulling in a massive 700 lb grouper killed by the red tide thing in Florida. A few years ago I watched a mini-documentary about a global research ship (can't remember the name) and the ship's cook was a 26 year veteran. They traveled the world's waterways and tested for pollution. He said he'd been just about everywhere & eaten almost everything humans do. He refused to eat anything that comes out of the Mississippi. I found that a bit surprising.

JDollar's attitude is ok if one is easily satisfied with fried sucker. Big Grin However, I've never tried it, so it's possible that I don't know

I’ve been eating deep fried fish for 70+ years, both fresh and salt water. Without a doubt, sucker, properly prepped and prepared is the best of them all. But, they must be properly prepared before frying- scaled, filleted, and most of all gashed. Peanut oil only , at 375 degrees.

I bet the Arctic grayling I've eaten were untainted, or almost.

quote:

Originally posted by wymple:
He refused to eat anything that comes out of the Mississippi. I found that a bit surprising.

That river is very polluted. The pollution extends way out into the Gulf.
https://www.google.com/search?...oAEB&sclient=gws-wiz

There are or were other large rivers in the world more polluted. Some are considered dead.

https://www.nola.com/news/envi...a1-2b9612ea17ff.html

Amazon destruction linked to the largest belt of algae on the planet
Sargassum swamps beaches, stains water brown-yellow, greatly alters coastal ecosystems

https://www.miamiherald.com/ne...rticle266627181.html

Over 600,000 pounds of fish mysteriously died in European river. Now experts know why

The fish died from Prymnesium parvum, known as “golden algae,” according to a report from the German Environmental Agency on Sept. 30, Deutsche Welle reported. Polish authorities came to the same conclusion at the same time, according to AFP. The usually relatively clean Oder River became too salty over the summer, turning the river into “brackish water,” AFP reported. And golden algae thrives – or blooms – in brackish water, experts said

quote:

I think the water quality problems are mostly traced to ag run-off and industrial dumping, and lack of regulations, enforcement, testing and just knowledge.

All to satisfy the needs and wants of a burgeoning population.

Here's an encouraging article:

https://theconversation.com/fr...over-60-years-180895

From ‘biologically dead’ to chart-toppingly clean: how the Thames made an extraordinary recovery over 60 years
Published: April 21, 2022 6.56am EDT

quote:

Originally posted by wymple:
I saw a you tube short yesterday of an excavator bucket pulling in a massive 700 lb grouper killed by the red tide thing in Florida. A few years ago I watched a mini-documentary about a global research ship (can't remember the name) and the ship's cook was a 26 year veteran. They traveled the world's waterways and tested for pollution. He said he'd been just about everywhere & eaten almost everything humans do. He refused to eat anything that comes out of the Mississippi. I found that a bit surprising.

I wouldn’t eat anything out of the Mississippi, Ohio,Potomac, or Hudson Rivers either. Remember about 25-30 years ago when a river in Ohio caught fire because of the amount of petrochemicals in the water??

From my old toxicology classes at univerity...

Part of our issues with finding contaminants in things is we are now a lot better at detecting them than we ever were before...

If our old testing was able to detect a microgram per liter of mercury, and now we can detect to under a picogram, we will be seeing a lot more of it... and a lot of items have had their action level reduced on them- many are considered no safe level of exposure.

Runoff, storm sewer effluent, lack of capability of a treatment facility to remove things are all involved here.

As is the fact that we do release some toxins inappropriately.

We can certainly do better to reduce pollution and clean things up.

BTW, one source that is supposedly horrible for water pollution is aquaculture... fish farming. Same issue as the overstocked cattle pasture.

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

For those of you who have never gashed a sucker, YouTube is your friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqp8jebMyfk

It’s really easy and there are no bones.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

And forcing people into parenthood who do not wish to be parents. No need for unwanted children of any stripe.

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

And forcing people into parenthood who do not wish to be parents. No need for unwanted children of any stripe.

I would agree if it weren’t killing an innocent baby.

Today…contraception is so effective and easy. Morning after pill’s readily available. You have to be dumb, lazy, or both to wind up pregnant at a later stage today.

Rape…I am not arguing against…so don’t go there.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

And forcing people into parenthood who do not wish to be parents. No need for unwanted children of any stripe.

I would agree if it weren’t killing an innocent baby.

Today…contraception is so effective and easy. Morning after pill’s readily available. You have to be dumb, lazy, or both to wind up pregnant at a later stage today.

Rape…I am not arguing against…so don’t go there.

At a late stage I would agree with you, restricting late stage abortion was allowed under Roe. We now have a situation where even early stage abortion is outlawed in many places. Humans are full of flaws and unplanned pregnancy will always occur.

When abortion takes place it is a fetus that is terminated, not a baby. You know the difference but prefer the more emotive descriptor.

I think I know some places, but am now wondering about that...

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

And forcing people into parenthood who do not wish to be parents. No need for unwanted children of any stripe.

I would agree if it weren’t killing an innocent baby.

Today…contraception is so effective and easy. Morning after pill’s readily available. You have to be dumb, lazy, or both to wind up pregnant at a later stage today.

Rape…I am not arguing against…so don’t go there.

At a late stage I would agree with you, restricting late stage abortion was allowed under Roe. We now have a situation where even early stage abortion is outlawed in many places. Humans are full of flaws and unplanned pregnancy will always occur.

When abortion takes place it is a fetus that is terminated, not a baby. You know the difference but prefer the more emotive descriptor.

Courts has allowed bans at 21 weeks under Casey. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff; like one clinic to service an entire state.

At one point a reporter did a story on the mineral content of maple syrup. As you would expect, trace amounts of about everything in the soil, including lead. People were calling the State health Dpt to see if it was safe to pour syrup down the drain, or they had to take it somewhere to be disposed of.
Years ago there was talk of dredging the Hudson river to get rid of the toxic sludge. They found there was a bacteria or microbes already eating and breaking down the sludge, and to just leave it alone. It is getting better because of it.
There is no word on what all the homeless and antifa people shitting in the city streets does for pollution levels. It must contribute in the big cites, and is why Kabobs article mentions cities as a big part of the problem.

How in the hell did the topic of contaminated fish wander so far afield into abortions??

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

And forcing people into parenthood who do not wish to be parents. No need for unwanted children of any stripe.

I would agree if it weren’t killing an innocent baby.

Today…contraception is so effective and easy. Morning after pill’s readily available. You have to be dumb, lazy, or both to wind up pregnant at a later stage today.

Rape…I am not arguing against…so don’t go there.

At a late stage I would agree with you, restricting late stage abortion was allowed under Roe. We now have a situation where even early stage abortion is outlawed in many places. Humans are full of flaws and unplanned pregnancy will always occur.

When abortion takes place it is a fetus that is terminated, not a baby. You know the difference but prefer the more emotive descriptor.

I challenge you to go see an alive post-extraction 60 plus fetus of any similar gestation animal in your hand and then come back and tell me it is not a baby.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by skb:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

If you have issues with pollution in the US, you really should be against bringing in all these low end (illegal) immigrants. Population density and numbers are the prime driver of environmental pollution.

And forcing people into parenthood who do not wish to be parents. No need for unwanted children of any stripe.

I would agree if it weren’t killing an innocent baby.

Today…contraception is so effective and easy. Morning after pill’s readily available. You have to be dumb, lazy, or both to wind up pregnant at a later stage today.

Rape…I am not arguing against…so don’t go there.

At a late stage I would agree with you, restricting late stage abortion was allowed under Roe. We now have a situation where even early stage abortion is outlawed in many places. Humans are full of flaws and unplanned pregnancy will always occur.

When abortion takes place it is a fetus that is terminated, not a baby. You know the difference but prefer the more emotive descriptor.

Courts has allowed bans at 21 weeks under Casey. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff; like one clinic to service an entire state.

I could live with a max of 10 weeks with the rape exclusion.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
At one point a reporter did a story on the mineral content of maple syrup. As you would expect, trace amounts of about everything in the soil, including lead. People were calling the State health Dpt to see if it was safe to pour syrup down the drain, or they had to take it somewhere to be disposed of.
Years ago there was talk of dredging the Hudson river to get rid of the toxic sludge. They found there was a bacteria or microbes already eating and breaking down the sludge, and to just leave it alone. It is getting better because of it.
There is no word on what all the homeless and antifa people shitting in the city streets does for pollution levels. It must contribute in the big cites, and is why Kabobs article mentions cities as a big part of the problem.

That^^^exhibits how dumb and brainwashed people have become.

As to disposal of toxic waste…where do you put it? It is going to get back into water some way. The only answer to some of the synthetic chemicals is to not make them.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
How in the hell did the topic of contaminated fish wander so far afield into abortions??

Ask Steve.