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Down-River Tests Show More PFCs: But State Won't Alter Fish-Consumption Advisories

Posted on: Saturday, 3 June 2006, 00:00 CDT

By Dennis Lien, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

May 24--Further tests of fish taken from the Mississippi River south of the 3M plant in Cottage Grove show widespread perfluorochemical contamination, but the levels aren't high enough to require tighter fish-consumption advisories.

State officials reached that conclusion recently after analyzing results of fish collected last fall and tested by an independent out-of-state laboratory.

It's the largest collection of fish data so far showing the extent of contamination from the family of chemicals, which were made at the plant until several years ago and discharged into the river. Once used in a variety of products that resist heat, oil and water, PFCs do not break down in the environment and have been found in animals all over the world.

Because comparatively little is known about them, high concentrations in Mississippi River fish have raised concerns among anglers and scientists. High levels, for instance, have been tied to liver and developmental problems in laboratory animals.

3M, however, contends its research has shown no health problems in people.

In the latest sampling, several species of fish were collected south of the plant and in Lake Pepin and tested as whole bodies and fillets.

"Definitely, the levels overall are lower downstream, which is to be expected," said Paul Hoff, a supervisor in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's water assessment section. "There's more dilution."

At both sites, the results generally show higher levels of perfluorooctane sulfate, or PFOS, in white bass and smallmouth bass and lower levels in walleye. Most of the fish had only trace amounts of perfluorooctanic acid, or PFOA.

But Hoff cautioned that the sampling was not large enough to be conclusive.

In white bass, 10 of 11 samples met or exceeded a threshold of 100 parts per billion used to trigger fish-consumption advisories. One had 1,860 ppb.

But in walleye, only one in 10 exceeded that threshold, with the highest level being 180 ppb.

Hoff said the agency plans to continue sampling different fish species at varying locations to get a better handle on health risks. "We don't really view this as the end of the fish story by any means," Hoff said.

Pat McCann, a research scientist at the Minnesota Health Department, said the data don't require an update in fish-consumption advisories, which are meant to guide how much fish from various water bodies people can safely eat.

"People should continue to follow the current fish-consumption advice," she said. "We think that is protective of all fish contaminated with PFOS."

Like Hoff, she said scientists must learn more.

"We really need to get a better understanding of how this stuff bio-accumulates in fish species," she said. "We really don't have a good understanding about that right now."

Dennis Lien can be reached at dlien@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5588.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)

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