- According to researchers, freshwater fish taken in the US contain more "forever chemicals" than saltwater fish.
- These substances, also known as PFAS, can impair fertility, increase the risk of cancer, and damage the immune system.
- Various sources, such as landfills and wastewater treatment facilities, contaminate the water the fish swim in.
- According to experts, freshwater fish pollution has spread to even the most pure rural places.
When eating freshwater fish like largemouth bass, lake trout, or catfish, it's possible to unintentionally consume perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, which has the potential to be dangerous (PFOS).
According to a study released today by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), consuming just one serving of freshwater fish harvested in the United States might be compared to consuming PFOS-tainted water for an entire month.
Freshwater fish contain an average of 48 parts per trillion of the toxin per dish, according to research.
The median concentrations of PFOS and other substances known as PFAS, or perfluorinated alkylated substances, were found to be 280 times higher in freshwater fish than in some commercially captured fish, according to an examination of data acquired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Freshwater predator fish like pike, trout, and bass are more prone to accumulate higher amounts of chemical pollutants, according to Dr. Kevin C. Rose, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
He also mentioned that top saltwater predators like swordfish and tuna may be contaminated with dangerous amounts of mercury by consuming other fish.
Toxic substances in freshwater fish
Data from more than 500 samples of fish fillets gathered in the United States between 2013 and 2015 as part of the EPA's monitoring programmes, the National Rivers and Streams Assessment, and the Great Lakes Human Health Fish Fillet Tissue Study were analysed by the researchers.
Fish fillets had a median total PFAS concentration of 9,500 ng/kg, with a median concentration of 11,800 ng/kg in the Great Lakes.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is presently researching acceptable PFAS ingestion recommendations, although they have not yet been developed by the federal government (FDA).
However, according to EWG, the FDA has previously warned about imported clams with PFAS levels of 10,000 nanograms per kilogramme.
The danger that 'forever' might pose The danger that "forever chemicals" could pose
According to some studies, these "forever chemicals" — which are found in non-stick cookware, firefighting foam, and clothing stain-prevention products like Scotchgard — may have adverse effects on fertility, increase the risk of cancer, weaken immunity, and interfere with natural hormones, among other things.
We are unsure of the risks, so it is difficult to determine the hazardous concentrations of these compounds, according to Rose. There isn't much study, but increasing consumer knowledge would persuade manufacturers to use PFAS less, which would eventually limit exposure without the need for governmental action.
For instance, 3M, the company that makes Scotchgard, has promised to stop producing PFAS by 2025.
How polluted freshwater fish are
Fish captured in urban areas and the Great Lakes have higher concentrations of PFAS than fish obtained elsewhere in the country, according to Tasha Stoiber, PhD, an EWG senior scientist and research co-author.
According to Stoiber, sources of PFAS in fish could include discharge from wastewater treatment facilities that don't filter out PFAS, leaching from landfills, and runoff into lakes and streams in urban areas, where the investigation showed particularly high levels of contamination.
However, this does not imply that freshwater fish taken from more pristine places is secure.
Even the most isolated regions in the world have PFAS, according to Stoiber.
Fish are commonly tainted with chemicals.
According to Stoiber, the fish chosen for the EPA study are the ones that are most frequently caught and eaten. According to her, those with low incomes and members of particular ethnic groups who traditionally capture freshwater fish to supplement their diets may be particularly vulnerable to PFAS exposure.
2022 research
For instance, PFAS levels in the blood of Burmese fisherman who regularly caught and consumed fish from lakes in upstate New York were discovered to be six times higher than those of the American populace as a whole.
In light of the extensive prevalence of these chemicals in the environment, Stoiber urged the federal government to establish guidelines for the safe ingestion of PFAS.
She added that customers can lessen their exposure to PFAS in the interim by purifying their drinking water, consuming less freshwater fish, and buying fish from outlets that, according to the study, have reduced PFAS content.
0 Comments