LANSING, Mich — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued a precautionary Eat Safe Fish guideline recommending that people limit Lake Superior smelt consumption to one serving per month.
The guidelines come after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) notified the MDHHS of elevated perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) levels in Lake Superior rainbow smelt.
“This precautionary guideline is based on data shared by Wisconsin, which shows elevated levels of PFOS in Lake Superior rainbow smelt,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. “PFOS is a perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) associated with harmful effects in people, including reduced fertility, thyroid disease and liver damage. We will update this guideline once the department has additional data.”
For the MDHHS guidelines, a serving is considered to be an 8-ounce portion size for adults and 2- or 4-ounce portion size for children. The precautionary guideline take effect immediately and replace the existing Eat Safe Fish guideline for Lake Superior smelt issued due to mercury.
MDHHS is coordinating with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and other agencies to collect smelt from Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and some inland lakes. MDHHS will then analyze these samples for contaminants, including PFOS.
Once this data is available, MDHHS will update existing smelt consumption guidelines for these waterbodies as needed.
Related video:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
