The state of Michigan this week published new advice to further limit the fish you eat that are caught in state waters, based on the amount of so-called “forever chemicals” that the fish contain.
Since the 1970s Michigan has issued an annual Eat Safe Fish Guide. It recommends the maximum amount of times you should eat different kinds of fish that are caught in specific rivers, lakes and streams, based on the contaminants found in the fish.
In 2016 the state added recommended guidelines for perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, an industrial chemical that enters and stays forever in the bodies of fish and humans, causing a range of health problems that are still being identified. This year’s guide, based on new research into those health problems, advises eating less fish containing PFOS.
"Science is evolving and we're understanding that PFOS toxicity is more toxic than we originally thought," says Marcus Wasilevich, section manager of the Toxicology and Assessment Section of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which produces the Eat Safe Fish Guide.
"They are realizing that PFOS is having an impact on human health at smaller quantities than originally thought. The amount that's allowable to be in your body before you start seeing health effects is getting smaller and smaller and smaller."
