Environment

Toxic Freshwater Fish

A single freshwater bass or catfish contains the same amount of dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ as a month’s worth of drinking water, a new study warns.

So-called forever chemicals - also known as PFAs, or Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances - are hazardous manmade substances used in everything from cosmetics to frying pans. According to scientists at the Environmental Working Group - a non-profit research organisation - people who eat freshwater fish are ingesting very high amounts of the toxic chemicals.

Eating one fish serving can be equivalent to drinking water for a month at 48 parts per trillion PFOS. US authorities advise that drinking water should not contain PFAs at a concentration higher than 0.2 parts per trillion.

People who consume freshwater fish, especially those who catch and eat fish regularly, are at risk of alarming levels of PFAS in their bodies, according to the study.