The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention expanded three advisories and added four new bodies of water to their warnings on PFAS contamination in freshwater fish on Tuesday.
That makes a total of 16 bodies of water where fish are contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, above what the CDC considers safe levels.
PFAS are human-made chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and have been associated with a number of health issues, including changes in kidney and liver function.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection found elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, in fish from McGrath Pond and Salmon Lake in Belgrade and Oakland; Aroostook River in Caribou from the reservoir to Haley Island in Fort Fairfield; Kenduskeag Stream from the Robyville covered bridge in Corinth to the Penobscot River in Bangor; Kennebec River in Waterville; Limestone Stream from Limestone to Fort Fairfield, including Durepo Pond; Annabessacook Lake in Monmouth and Winthrop; and Halfmoon Stream from Shikles Road in Thorndike to Sandy Stream and the stream from the Stevens Road in Unity to Unity Pond, according to the CDC.
As long as anglers follow the CDC’s recommendations on consumption of fish in these waters, it’s still safe to fish in them, and do other recreational activities such as swimming, wading and boating, the agency said.
