CONNECTICUT, USA — The Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a fish advisory to warn people on limiting the number of fish they eat from the Connecticut River.
The health effects, officials said, can be serious. Signs were posted at popular fishing locations as a warning.
Based on the samplings of fish tissue, a chemical known as PFOS was found in fish throughout the Connecticut River.
However, Sunfish and Trout were not part of the advisory.
"PFOS themselves have a use in many household consumer products, most notably through Teflon, Teflon coding on frying pans that make your fried eggs slide off without sticking," said Ray Frigon, director of DEEP’s Remediation Division.
While DPH said it is okay to have that one meal per month, anything more than that can be bad for you.
It can lead to long-term health effects such as high cholesterol levels, pregnancy complications, thyroid disease, and high blood pressure.
People who fished by the Glastonbury Boathouse spoke to FOX61 to give their reactions.
"We do have a catch and release in our family that we don’t believe in taking the fish home but we would still like that opportunity to actually have a fish fry with some of the catfish we catch," said Brian Dowgiewicz of Glastonbury.
"There’s a lot of trash in it and usually there’s like … it’s more murky than usual," said Dylan Mitchell of Glastonbury.
FOX61 asked The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection how PFOS was leaked into the river.
"We do see a fair amount of PFOS in household wastewater that’s discharged. We’re also seeing it in commercial industrial applications," added Frigon.
As to when all fish will be safe to eat, DEEP said it depends on consumer behavior in terms of what people buy and use at home.
State agencies will continue to monitor various fishing locations until the levels of PFOS is significantly reduced or cleared.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.