ronengland

A month ago, the EPA came out stating that all freshwater fish in the USA are contaminated with the PFOS and PFAS "forever" chemicals and should not be eaten.

I repeatedly asked the following Canadian Agencies if the fish I catch in Northern Ontario and Manitoba are safe to eat.
Manitoba Natural Resources
Freshwater Quality Monitoring
Environment & Climate Change
Winnipeg Freshwater Institute
Canadian Food Inspection
Fisheries & Oceans Canada
Health Canada
NONE have answered the question.

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Can you post where you read this?

DC Loc: Washington state

all I know there are alot of us old guys on this forum who have eaten fish our whole lives and we are still alive and kicking

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

DCGravity Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)

Well, alive at least! I grew up eating Lake Erie perch and walleye back in the 60s and 70s when the lake was toxic enough to catch fire! Well one of its tributaries, the Cuyahoga, anyway.

plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

I didn't get that memo ron, please post where that was written. Hard to believe that the entire country has been affected.

DCGravity Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)

What irks me about statements like this is that there are thousands of man-made reservoirs across the country that aren't subject to effluent or industrial runoff and are periodically stocked with fish from hatcheries that are isolated from those influences. How do the "forever" chemicals penetrate those systems, if at all, unless it was done so with malicious intent?

ronengland

On 1-26-23, the Environmental Working Group, a monitoring program of the EPA, published a report stating that ALL FRESHWATER FISH in the USA are contaminated and should not be eaten. (This was previously discussed here on the Fishing Digest) The report pointed out the effects of the "Forever" chemicals that do not break down. Specifically the PFOS and PFAS chemicals that accumulate in the human body. Look it up.

So, I just wanted to hear what Canada has to say about the relatively clean waters in Northern Ontario and Manitoba. Millions are spent on promoting and providing fishing opportunities.

I've fished Canada every year since 1970 and will continue to eat the fish.

Ron England
Orland Park, Ill.

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

From coast to coast, and in almost every state in the U.S., high levels of the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS contaminate freshwater fish. The potential harm is not limited to fish, but the pollution poses health risks to communities that catch and eat the fish.

This map, based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency, confirms the detection of PFAS at alarming levels in freshwater fish in U.S. bodies of water. We analyzed a subset of this data including over 500 fish fillet samples collected by EPA monitoring programs from 2013 to 2015. The average amount of total PFAS in a freshwater fish is 9,500 nanograms per kilogram, and an average of 11,800 nanograms per kilogram in the Great Lakes region.

Interactive map: ‘Forever chemicals’ in freshwater fish
Drinking water systems across the U.S. are contaminated with the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. The presence of these toxic chemicals in water is known to harm humans who are exposed to them. This map shows how PFAS also contaminate fish in rivers, lakes and streams.

VIEW THE MAP
EWG’s research shows that PFOS levels in fish are so high that even infrequent consumption would significantly increase PFOS levels in people. Earlier research has linked increased fish consumption to higher PFAS exposure, and this study highlights how contamination of freshwater fish is particularly concerning. Along with PFOA, PFOS is considered one of the most studied and notorious types of PFAS and the one most commonly found in fish.

A landmark EWG map shows at least 2,858 locations in all 50 states and two U.S. territories known to be contaminated with PFAS. And the number is growing at an alarming rate.

The latest findings underscore how widespread a problem PFAS has become, contaminating not only the water we drink but also the fish many of us eat. Consuming PFAS-laced fish is yet another way humans are exposed to chemicals long known to be catastrophically harmful to our health.

The pollution is especially problematic for communities living near bodies of water, whose sustenance depends on consumption of fish they’ve caught, since the more contaminated the fish someone eats, the greater their overall exposure to PFAS, and the greater the risk to their health. These are often historically disadvantaged communities who frequently unfairly face disproportionate risk from exposure to PFAS in the fish they catch.

The disparity between freshwater and store-bought fish highlights the lopsided impact of this contamination on these communities, since results of Food and Drug Administration tests conducted from 2019 to 2022 show the average amount of PFAS in commercially caught, packaged and sold fish is far lower than in freshwater fish.

Where does the pollution come from?
EWG estimates there may be over 40,000 industrial facilities contributing to the PFAS contamination problem in the U.S. Tens of thousands of manufacturing facilities, municipal landfills and wastewater treatment plants, airports and sites where PFAS-containing firefighting foams have been used are potential sources of PFAS discharges into surface water. Because of these firefighting foams, Department of Defense installations are also known to be hot spots of PFAS contamination.

Get Your FREE Copy of EWG's Guide To Avoiding PFAS Chemicals
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What’s being done about PFAS contamination?
The EPA has announced a PFAS Action Plan that includes proposals for tackling PFAS contamination in air, food and water. But many actions have yet to be implemented.

Other agencies, including the DOD, have outlined steps they intend to take to reduce the risk of PFAS contamination and exposure.

But more must be done. What’s needed is a swift and comprehensive federal strategy making it mandatory to turn off the tap of industrial PFAS pollution by encouraging cutting PFAS from the production of many everyday items, and ramp up efforts to better identify and reduce the extent of PFAS contamination in drinking water across the U.S.

This map shows the urgent need for such steps, especially for those communities facing disproportionately high risks.

woodguru Loc: El Dorado Ca

My grandparents ate a lot of things that were perfectly safe for them, as pollutants got worse and worse, many that didn't even exist when they grew up became a problem for later generations...I'm sorry, but the "I did this all my life and I'm fine" doesn't hold much water...not to mention you may die yet from something that took 30 years to manifest.

Here's the thing, be aware of the toxicity on a lake by lake basis, there are lakes that have much higher amounts of things like Mercury due to mining. Someone was just telling me the fishing in Lahontan in Nevada is smoking hot, but the levels of lead or Mercury are thousands of times higher than elsewhere, nobody eats the fish from there.

DC Loc: Washington state

if there are specific waters with high levels of hazardous chemicals yes close them off to all water sports but to say all freshwater fish in the u.s. are unsafe to eat is painting with a pretty broad brush. just because a harmful chemical has been found in fish does not mean it is unsafe it is more about exposure both in quality and time. if we were to follow a zero tolerance approach to harmful chemicals there would be very very little we would have to eat, drink, or breathe and we would most likely starve to death .

ronengland

Gordon, most of the store bought fish are less contaminated because they are from SALTWATER from the Ocean, not Freshwater.
Ron

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

I agree. The only freshwater fish that I catch and eat are catfish. Now I do get fish sandwiches at Arby's and Culver's. Cold water 🐟

smitty Loc: maine

i heard if you eat 15 lbs of fish every day fur 25yrs u might get some symptoms