Almost every fish tested by the EPA since 2013 found to be contaminated with toxic 'forever chemical' PFOS: 'We don’t want this problem to get any worse'

In a recent study analyzing hundreds of fish caught by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 2013, researchers found that eating just one freshwater fish a year can significantly increase the level of toxic “forever chemicals” in a person’s blood. 

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, EPA testing revealed that nearly every fish was contaminated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a chemical used for decades in various industries, including Scotchgard stain-resistant fabrics, firefighting foam, and food packaging manufactured by 3M.

The study’s authors warn that PFOS builds up in human blood, causing various health issues, including liver damage, immune system disorders, thyroid disease, and even cancer, and does not break down in the environment.

David Andrews, a senior scientist at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group and one of the authors of the study, emphasizes the urgency of the situation. 

“These findings point to the urgent need to eliminate more releases of these chemicals into the environment. We don’t want this problem to get any worse, especially knowing how long it’s going to take for it to get better,” he said.

The study also found that a single serving of freshwater fish during a year is equivalent to drinking water laden with 48 parts per trillion of PFOS for a month. To put that number into context, the nationwide median of PFOS in drinking water is estimated to be less than 5 ppt, while the highest concentration detected in Chicago drinking water so far is 2.8 ppt.

The study showed that freshwater fish in the United States are significantly more contaminated than seafood, with the median concentration of forever chemicals in the EPA testing being 278 times higher than what the Food and Drug Administration found during the past four years in saltwater fish, shrimp, lobster, clams, and oysters. The research reveals the need for immediate action to address the release of toxic chemicals into the environment.

The Biden administration is proposing to list PFOS and PFOA as hazardous substances under federal law, which would make it easier to force polluters to clean up contaminated sites at their expense.