More Maine Bodies of Water Added to The ‘Unsafe Consumption’ List For Maine Fish

Over the last several years we've been hearing much more about 'forever chemical' or, PFAS, in the state of Maine. But, what in the heck are PFAS, anyway?

Well, since we now have this wicked-cool AI feature built right in to Google, I asked it. Here's what is said:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are resistant to heat, water, oil, and grease. They are also known as "forever chemicals" because they are persistent in the environment and don't break down easily. PFAS have been used in many industrial and consumer products since the 1940s, including:

Now, with the advanced spread of forever chemicals, the Maine Centers for Disease Control are issuing a new warning which expands the number of bodies of water that Maine fishermen should NOT be consuming fish from.

According to an article from WGME 13, there are now 16 bodies of water that have a do not consume warning for the fish that come from them.

Those bodies of water with elevated PFAS levels include Halfmoon and Sandy streams in Thorndike and Unity, Annabessacook Lake which is in Monmouth and Winthrop, Limestone Stream located in Fort Fairfield, Kennebec River (Waterville), Kenduskeag stream in both Bangor and Kenduskeag, the Aroostook River in Caribou, Maine, and Salmon Lake and McGrath Pond in Blegrade and Oakland.

WGME says that boating, swimming and wading are still safe activities though the fish consumption advisory remains in effect.

Below is a chart put out by the Maine Centers for Disease Control about the updated consumption warnings.