The Washington State Department of Health has issued a fish consumption advisory for Lake Washington, Lake Meridian (in Kent), and Lake Sammamish after finding perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, in several types of fish.
PFOS comes from a family of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals” in the news.
According to the Department of Health, There is strong evidence from animal studies and growing evidence from human studies that chemicals in the PFAS family, like PFOS, can harm human health. For people, having PFAS chemicals in your body could:
Interfere with your immune system and make some vaccinations less effective.
Increase your risk for: kidney cancer, a lower birth weight for your baby, and/or high cholesterol.
New human studies show PFAS chemicals may also increase your risk for:
Other cancers (like testicular cancer),
Thyroid disease, and/or
High blood pressure during pregnancy and other reproductive issues.
According to health officials, your risk of developing health problems depends on how much, how often, and how long you were exposed. Age, lifestyle, and overall health can impact how your body responds to PFOS exposure. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to lower your exposure.
DOH recommends continuing to eat fish because it has many health benefits. Follow the updated guidelines to limit your PFOS exposure and safely eat fish caught in Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish, and Lake Meridian.
Lake Washington: Lake Washington has existing advisories for PCBs and mercury. DOH is now adding recommendations for PFOS.
Common Carp: Do not eat
Cutthroat Trout: Do not eat
Largemouth Bass: Do not eat
Smallmouth Bass: Do not eat
Northern Pikeminnow: Do not eat
Yellow Perch: Up to 1 meal* per month
Brown Bullhead: Up to 4 meals per month
Pumpkinseed: Healthy choice
Rainbow Trout: Healthy choice
Sockeye Salmon: Healthy choice
Lake Sammamish:
Largemouth Bass: Do not eat
Northern Pikeminnow: Do not eat
Yellow Perch: Up to 1 meal per month
Smallmouth Bass: Up to 2 meals per month
Brown Bullhead: Healthy choice
Lake Meridian:
Northern Pikeminnow: Do not eat
Smallmouth Bass: Do not eat
Yellow Perch: Up to 1 meal per month
Largemouth Bass: Up to 1 meal per month
Kokanee: Up to 2 meals per month
Brown Bullhead: Healthy choice
*One meal for an adult is equivalent to one 8-ounce uncooked fillet, or a piece of fish approximately the same size and thickness as your palm.
Fish Advisory signs at the lakes will be updated by the start of the Spring fishing season.
Currently, there are no PFOS advisories on saltwater fish or other lakes in Washington. The Department of Ecology (ECY) collected fish samples from Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish, and Lake Meridian first because those lakes were identified as higher concern for PFOS in previous sampling. ECY is monitoring for other types of PFAS chemicals, and the Department of Health anticipates receiving more data from ECY and other partners over the next several years.
