Michigan releases updated fish consumption guidelines relating to PFAS in Lake St. Clair, Flint River

LANSING, Mich. – As part of the State of Michigan’s effort to address the emerging contaminant, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued Eat Safe Fish guidelines for fish caught from Lake St. Clair and the Flint River in Genesee, Lapeer and Saginaw counties.

Fish in Lake St. Clair were tested as a result of the state’s PFAS effort, but guidelines have been set as a result of elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and/or mercury. Guidelines have previously existed for Lake St. Clair relating to mercury, PCBs and dioxins. While there are three municipal drinking water intakes in Lake St. Clair, they were found to have detectable but very low levels of PFOS, well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lifetime Health Advisory Level of 70 parts per trillion.

Although Flint River fish consumption guidelines have been in place since 1993 for mercury and PCBs, PFOS was first included for fish in 2015 in the Flint River. Additional fish were collected from the Flint River in 2016 and analyzed in 2017 resulting in updated guidance. The Flint River is not a source of drinking water.

The Eat Safe Fish guidelines are set to be protective for everyone including children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. They are also set to be protective for people with existing health problems such as cancer or diabetes. Eat Safe Fish guidelines are provided as MI Servings. One MI Serving for adults is 6-8 ounces of fish (about the size of an adult’s hand). For children, one MI Serving is 2-4 ounces of fish (about the size of an adult’s palm).

The Limited MI Serving category is a special guideline used to describe fish that should only be eaten once or twice per year, at most, due to higher levels of chemicals. However, people who are under the age of 15; have health problems, such as cancer or diabetes; are planning on having children in the next several years; or are breastfeeding, should avoid eating all fish listed as Limited. The 2x indicates the number of MI Servings can be doubled when fat is cleaned away and fish is cooked so more fat can drip away.

Below are the current fish guidelines for each individual water body. For all other fish from these water bodies, follow the Statewide Eat Safe Fish Guidelines.

MDHHS updates its Eat Safe Fish Guides annually in the spring. For current guidelines relating to PFAS contamination in fish, visit Michigan.gov/pfasresponse. For more information about the Eat Safe Fish guidelines, visit Michigan.gov/eatsafefish.

Genesee County
Flint River (downstream of Mott Dam)

Type of Fish	Chemicals causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
Carp	PCBs	Any	Limited
Largemouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year
Rock Bass	PFOS	Any	1
Smallmouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year

Genesee County
Flint River (upstream of Mott Dam, including the Mott and Holloway Reservoirs)

Type of Fish	Chemicals causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
Black Crappie	Mercury	Any	4
Carp	PFOS	Any	2
Catfish	Mercury	Any	4
Largemouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year
Rock Bass	PFOS	Any	1
Smallmouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year
Walleye	PFOS	Any	1
White Crappie	Mercury	Any	4

Lapeer County
Flint River (upstream of Mott Dam, including the Mott and Holloway Reservoirs and North and South Branches of the Flint River)

Type of Fish	Chemicals causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
Black Crappie	Mercury	Any	4
Carp	PFOS	Any	2
Catfish	Mercury	Any	4
Largemouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year
Rock Bass	PFOS	Any	1
Smallmouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year
Walleye	PFOS	Any	1
White Crappie	Mercury	Any	4

Saginaw County
Flint River (downstream of Mott Dam)

Type of Fish	Chemicals causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
Carp	PCBs	Any	Limited
Largemouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year
Rock Bass	PFOS	Any	1
Smallmouth Bass	PFOS	Any	6 per Year

Lake St. Clair

Type of Fish	Chemical Causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
Bluegill	PFOS	Any	4
Carp	PCBs	Any	Limited
Catfish	Dioxins	Any	Limited
Black Crappie	Mercury	Under 9”	8
		Over 9”	4
Freshwater Drum	PCBs and Mercury	Any	2
Largemouth and Smallmouth bass	PCBs and Mercury	Under 20”	2
		Over 20”	1
Muskellunge	Mercury	Any	Do Not Eat
Northern Pike	Mercury	Any	2
Rock Bass	PCBs	Any	12x
Sturgeon	PCBs	Any	Limited
Sunfish	PFOS	Any	4
Walleye	PCBs and Dioxins	Any	6 per Year2x
White (Silver) Bass	PCBs	Any	Limited
White Crappie	Mercury	Under 9”	8
		Over 9”	4
Yellow Perch	Mercury	Any	4

Additionally, a special notice has been in place for a certain area of Lake St. Clair and the Lange-Revere Canals.

Lake St. Clair and within two miles of the Lange-Revere Canals (between Lakefront Park and Veterans Memorial Park and out into open water)

Type of Fish	Chemical Causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
Bluegill	PCBs	Any	6 per Year2x
Carp	PCBs	Any	Limited
Largemouth Bass	PCBs	Under 20”	12x
	PCBs and Mercury	Over 20”	1
Muskellunge	Mercury	Any	Do Not Eat
Smallmouth Bass	PCBs	Under 20”	12x
	PCBs and Mercury	Over 20”	1
Sunfish	PCBs	Any	6 per Year2x
Walleye	PCBs and Dioxins	Any	6 per Year2x
Yellow Perch	PCBs	Any	22x
All Other Species	PCBs	Any	Limited

Lange-Revere Canals

Type of Fish	Chemical Causing MI Serving Guideline	Size of Fish (length in inches)	MI Servings per Month
All Species	PCBs	Any	Do Not Eat

 

# # #