NC State Researchers Find High Levels Of Firefighting Foam Chemical In Cape Fear Bass
Source: The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Striped bass caught in the Cape Fear River and tested for “forever chemicals” had levels of a substance known for its use in firefighting foam that were among the highest ever seen in fish, scientists from N.C. State University reported in a study published Friday.
Blood from 58 striped bass caught in the Cape Fear River had more than 40 times the PFAS of blood from striped bass raised at the Pamlico Aquaculture Field Laboratory, the study found. And it showed that fish with higher levels of the chemicals tended to have increased activity in their livers and immune systems.
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a family of chemicals that have raised concerns across the country due to their persistence in the environment and impacts on human health. PFOA and PFOS, two of the most-common kinds of PFAS, have been linked to increased cholesterol, low infant birth weights and suppressed immune function, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. PFOA also increases risk for some cancers.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has responded to concerns about PFAS exposure from eating fish by setting consumption advisory levels for PFOA, PFOS and PFNA. North Carolina has not set such levels, a state health department spokeswoman said, but is in communication with researchers who are studying the fish...
Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nc-state-researchers-find-high-levels-of-firefighting-foam-chemical-in-cape-fear-bass/ar-BBZM8j9?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15
There has been a moratorium on striped bass in the Cape Fear River, but the new study said it's likely that largemouth bass, catfish and other species also have high PFAS levels.
If people eat fish caught in the river, they could be ingesting those chemicals, said a N.C. toxicologist.
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