"Forever chemicals" found in fish caught in San Francisco Bay, report warns
A warning to anglers who eat their catch from the San Francisco Bay, fish pulled from the waters may contain dangerous levels of so-called "forever chemicals."
In a recent report by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, scientists detected 20 types of polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS in fish caught in the bay.
Their research and testing of fish began in 2009, and a revised study was published in the American Chemical Society this past March.
"PFAS have been known to harm us in a variety of different ways, they've been known to cause cancer," said Miguel Mendez, the lead author of the SFEI study. "It affects us in variety of different organs, including the liver, and over time can cause some severe health effects."
Along the docks of San Francisco's Embarcadero, one will find a variety of fisherman who are there for sport or relaxation, but a number of people fish the docks for food.
"I think for communities, especially those that are eating every day from the Bay, that is a huge concern and likely leading to a higher load of PFAS and other contaminants, for these populations," said Mendez.
Along Pier One, longtime anglers Danny Tran and Nick Hayden were posted up on a sunny afternoon, and both say while they love to fish, they are careful about how much of their catch they consume.
"I don't eat too much fish, so I'm okay with it," said Tran. "I probably eat once a month, twice a month and that's about it."
"You have to choose what you eat, the smaller (younger) the better, because there's less chemicals in them," said Hayden. "The bigger ones have higher levels of mercury, or whatever they have inside of them."
Currently there are no specific state guidelines on the consumption of fish in relation to PFAS. But since 2011 the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessments has offered recommendations on 18 fish species on which types of fish to avoid, which fish are safe to eat, and how many servings are recommended per week, along with gender and age advisories.
They updated their recommendations in April of 2023, and have posted signs along local docks.
Where anglers catch their fish, can also determine the level of "forever chemicals." SFEI conducted tests in 12 different locations and found higher levels of PFAS in the South Bay.
"The South Bay is a hotspot for PFAS, but that doesn't mean that the North Bay is the immune or doesn't have PFAS at all, because fish can swim for location to location," said Mendez. "To those who may have a seafood heavy diet, you should really think about where is my seafood coming from."
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