Read the full article (Wahpeton Daily News)
“Minnesota joins other states in sampling deer near areas with known PFAS surface water impacts
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will test liver and muscle samples from deer to help determine whether industrial chemicals called per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are present in deer near two PFAS contaminated sites.
The DNR initiated sampling near the Duluth airport south of Rice Lake Reservoir when the archery season opened on Sept. 19, and is also making arrangements for samples to be collected in portions of the east metro area of the Twin Cities.
This will be the first time the Minnesota DNR has sampled deer for PFAS. Recent findings reported by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources led to a deer liver consumption advisory for deer harvested near a known PFAS site in Marinette County, due to the presence of the contaminants in some of the liver tissue collected.
The Minnesota DNR plans to collect liver and muscle tissues from a total of 60 hunter harvested deer within or near the two areas where PFAS are known to be impacting surface water: the Duluth airport and the east metro area of the Twin Cities. The DNR will reach out to hunters in these areas directly and ask them to voluntarily submit liver and muscle tissue samples from their harvested deer for testing purposes.
The DNR worked with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to select the two sites because they have known or possible PFAS exposure routes for deer and are in the proximity of planned hunts…”