Harmful ‘forever chemicals’ found in freshwater fish, yet most states don’t warn residents

By Hannah Norman | USA Today | December 1, 2023

Read the full article by Hannah Norman (USA Today)

"Bill Eisenman has always fished.

“Growing up, we ate whatever we caught — catfish, carp, freshwater drum,” he said. “That was the only real source of fish in our diet as a family, and we ate a lot of it.”

Today, a branch of the Rouge River runs through Eisenman’s property in a suburb north of Detroit. But in recent years, he has been wary about a group of chemicals known as PFAS, also referred to as “forever chemicals,” which don’t break down quickly in the environment and accumulate in soil, water, fish, and our bodies.

The chemicals have spewed from manufacturing plants and landfills into local ecosystems, polluting surface water and groundwater, and the wildlife living there. And hundreds of military bases have been pinpointed as sources of PFAS chemicals leaching into nearby communities.

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• Environment
• Wildlife
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses