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MDCH Holds Public Meeting about "Do Not Eat" Fish Advisory for Clark's Marsh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2013

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) will be holding an open house followed by a community meeting in Oscoda on Thursday, Jan. 24, to discuss the "do not eat" advisory issued for fish caught in Clark's Marsh, near the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, and the lower Au Sable River (downstream of Foote Dam to the mouth).

The meeting and open house will be held at the Oscoda Township Conference Center located at 208 S. State Street (US-23) in Oscoda, Mich. The open house will run from 2:30-4:30 p.m., and the community meeting will take place from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

In May 2012, MDCH evaluated the levels of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) found in the filets of fish taken from ponds in Clark's Marsh. MDCH determined the levels of PFCs in the fish were unsafe for human health and immediately issued an advisory warning people not to eat fish from Clark's Marsh or the lower Au Sable River. Since then, MDCH has evaluated fish taken from the lower Au Sable River and has found PFCs in those fish as well. Therefore, MDCH recommends that people not eat fish that live in the river year-round, such as perch, bass and panfish.

Migratory fish that enter the river from Lake Huron, such as walleye, salmon and trout, are not expected to have high levels of PFCs. However, MDCH has guidelines for eating fish from Lake Huron, based on other chemicals that are found in those fish. These guidelines are available at www.michigan.gov/eatsafefish.

PFCs are chemicals that are used in fire-fighting foams, non-stick ("Teflon") manufacturing, electroplating, and textiles. They are of concern because they are persistent in the environment and the food chain and can result in health hazards to humans. The only known site of PFC contamination in Michigan is the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda.

MDCH is working with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, various partner agencies and local leadership to protect the public's health and ensure protection of the environment. The open house and community meeting will provide the Oscoda community an opportunity to talk with these agencies and officials.

For more information about public health activities at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, visit www.michigan.gov/mdch-toxics and look for the (Former) Wurtsmith Air Force link under "Health Assessments and Related Documents."

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