Investigation into water near 3M plant led to discovery of old and new chemicals in fish

By Deena Winter | Minnesota Reformer | August 11, 2023

Read the full article by Deena Winter (Minnesota Reformer)

"A state and federal investigation into chemical discharges from 3M’s Cottage Grove plant led to last week’s state health advisory about fish caught in the Mississippi River from St. Paul to Hastings, as well as a popular shore fishing lake near Hastings.

Of 42 toxic manmade chemical compounds researchers looked for in fish in a 41-mile stretch of the Mississippi from St. Paul into Wisconsin, all but six were found, prompting state health officials to issue a fish advisory directed at children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Some scientists say the health department didn’t go far enough in warning people.

The average fish tissue levels of a 3M chemical called PFOS in the Lake Rebecca fish was about 400 times the state pollution regulator’s threshold for health risks for those who eat a lot of fish they catch."

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• ChemicalsPFOS
• Sources3M
• Environment
• Wildlife
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses