MDH says children, pregnant people shouldn't eat fish from 2 bodies of water contaminated by PFAS
MINNEAPOLIS -- Health officials are recommending children, pregnant people and those who are breastfeeding should avoid eating fish from two bodies of water near the Twin Cities.
The Minnesota Department of Health said fish contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been found in the Mississippi River's Pool 2, which stretches from the Ford Dam in St. Paul to Hastings Dam, and Lake Rebecca, near Hastings.
The health department said the new guidance doesn't forbid catch-and-release fishing in these bodies of water -- only consumption is inadvisable.
For the last 20 years, Minnesota has been battling PFAS -- toxic, synthetic chemicals that can invade the environment and have proved difficult to remove. They're also known as "forever chemicals." WCCO has reported extensively on these chemicals.