Research Reveals The Hidden Health Hazards In Your Seafood Dinner

There’s not much better than a grilled salmon filet or a nice piece of fried cod, but eating certain fish caught within the United States could come with some potentially serious consequences.

According to a new report, digesting just one of these fish can have the same negative impact as drinking contaminated water for an entire month.

It’s all about the chemicals

For decades, manufacturers have increasingly used chemicals known as PFAS, which have useful applications in the textile industry, food packaging, nonstick cookware, and other specialties.

The clear downside of these so-called “forever chemicals,” however, is that they tend to pollute just about everything they come in contact with — including the land, air, and water.

Among the possible health problems that have been associated with ingesting too many of these chemicals include:

• Liver damage
• Certain cancers
• High cholesterol
• Compromised immune response

Fish is a major source

Focusing on freshwater fish caught in rivers and lakes between 2013 and 2015, researchers found that there was an average of 9,500 nanograms per kilogram. There are many variations of PFAS, but the majority discovered in this study were so-called PFOS, which are especially common and particularly dangerous.

To put the risk in perspective, the study determined that eating one of these fish is about the same as drinking water with 48 parts per trillion of PFOS. The Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that anything above 0.02 parts per trillion exceeds its limits for safety.

Furthermore, the findings showed PFAS levels a staggering 278 times higher than those found in fish sold commercially.

Study authors hope the report will help spur new regulations against these forever chemicals while giving consumers some important information to consider before dining on freshwater fish.

Chris Agee January 18th, 2023

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