EPA Adds PFAS to Clean Water Act Fish Consumption Monitoring Recommendations
On July 11, EPA released updated recommendations that add PFAS to the list of contaminants that states, Tribes, and territories should consider monitoring in locally caught, freshwater fish under the Clean Water Act (CWA). EPA has added twelve PFAS to the list along with lead, three cyanotoxins, a flame retardant, and amphetamine. These updated science-based recommendations are based on a scientific literature review, data analysis, and an external peer review.
States, tribes, and territories use CWA 106 grant funding to monitor and analyze contaminants in fish and shellfish caught in local, fresh waterbodies and issue fish consumption advisories when the levels are high enough to impact human health. Many states are already monitoring for certain PFAS in fish and using local data to issue fish consumption advisories where appropriate.
For more information, read EPA’s press release, view EPA’s Q&A Fact Sheet, and visit EPA’s website.
