Read the full article by Melba Newsome (Sierra Club)

“The coastal areas around Wilmington, North Carolina, are renowned for their year-round recreational and subsistence fishing. Whether freshwater species like the largemouth and striped bass or saltwater species like speckled trout, red drum, and bluefish, something is always biting in the Cape Fear River and its tributaries. But on a beautiful Indian summer morning in November, just five miles from the downtown Riverfront, the 125-foot fishing pier in Brunswick Riverwalk Park, usually lined with anglers, is completely deserted. 

Last July, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) issued a fish consumption advisory recommending nearly everyone dramatically cut their intake of certain freshwater fish from the middle and lower Cape Fear River. This advisory was prompted by concerns that fish are exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemical that can persist for 1,000 years. According to the commission’s survey, the species most frequently caught and consumed were found to have the highest levels of PFOS.

PFAS is increasingly seen as an emerging public health concern that can cause issues with reproductive health, increase high blood pressure in pregnant women, create developmental defects in children, and elevate the risk of some cancers. Known as forever chemicals because of its inability to degrade, PFAS can also be called everywhere chemicals because they’re found in so many commonly used products, including nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, cosmetics, and firefighting foams. 

The state advisory from July suggests eating just one American shad, blue catfish, or channel catfish a year. And, because the striped bass has one of the highest documented rates of PFAS of any North American fish, the state health agency warned against consuming the popular recreational fish in any quantities. Advisory limits are even lower for women and children since these groups may be more sensitive to PFAS exposure. In the announcement, the state officials warned that these groups should be especially cautious about consuming fish from the Middle and Lower Cape Fear River and advised everyone to consume no more than seven meals each year.” …