New PFAS guidelines spark more ‘do not eat’ warnings for Michigan fish

• Amid evidence that PFAS is far more dangerous than previously thought, state officials have revised statewide guidelines for eating contaminated fish
• The change triples the number of waterbodies where officials say anglers shouldn’t eat their catch
• Environmentalists cheered the update, while calling for action to prevent contamination of Michigan’s lakes, rivers and aquifers

Michigan health officials have dramatically reduced the amount of PFAS-tainted fish they consider safe to eat, tripling the number of waterbodies where anglers are warned against eating their catch.

Ninety-eight water bodies are now subject to “do not eat” advisories because fish are contaminated with the so-called “forever chemicals,” up from 33 last year. Hundreds more advisories suggest that Michiganders limit meals of certain fish species to anywhere from 16 servings a month to six a year. 

Officials with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced the change Monday while publishing the annual Eat Safe Fish Guide, a document that identifies waterways where fish are contaminated with unsafe levels of toxic chemicals.

The new guidelines, which are warnings to anglers as opposed to enforceable regulations, are six times more stringent than their predecessors. They reflect a growing body of evidence that PFAS is far more toxic than previously thought. 

Michigan’s former PFAS fish consumption limits were drafted in 2014, when scientists knew relatively little about the long-term health effects of so-called “forever chemicals” used to make stainproof and waterproof fabrics, silky-smooth hair conditioners and nonstick pans.

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Back then, advisories began at 9 parts per billion of PFOS, a PFAS compound, in fish, at which point adults were warned to eat no more than 16 servings a month. A level of 300 parts per billion triggered an all-out “do not eat” warning. 

Now, warnings begin at 1.5 parts per billion, with “do not eat” triggered after 49.6 parts per billion, MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said. 

Find out whether your local fishing spot is affected here. 

Exposure to PFAS chemicals has been linked to cancer, thyroid problems and developmental, fertility and immunity challenges. Decades of unregulated use and disposal has allowed the chemicals to spread into the surface and groundwater around the world, including large swaths of Michigan. 

In random sampling of Great Lakes fish conducted by the EPA, PFOS was found in every fish.

Anti-PFAS advocates in Michigan have long urged the state to update its fish consumption guidelines. They cheered Monday’s announcement as a victory for public health.

“We all agree it’s a good thing,” said Erica Bloom, toxics campaign director at  the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center. 

But Bloom said she is concerned that Michigan’s guidelines may still underestimate the health risks of PFAS-tainted fish, because they are based on just one of the many PFAS compounds that can contaminate fish tissue.

And she lamented that chemical contamination is continuing to deprive Michiganders of a food source and a way of life. 

“The real message here,” Bloom said, “is that we have to turn off the tap on these chemicals or we're never going to get anywhere.”