Maine warns hunters to throw away deer and turkey meat after tests in some areas reveal high levels of Forever chemicals

Conservationists in Maine have warned hunters that white-tailed deer and wild turkey are unsafe to eat in some parts of the state due to high levels of toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the state’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention have a Advice ‘Do not eat’ Thursday before two new locations in Central Maine. The two advisory areas include approximately 5.5 square miles in Unity and Unity Township and 4.3 square miles in Unity, Freedom and Albion. This new advisory is in addition to a larger region of approximately 25 square miles in Somerset County, which has been under a Do Not Eat advisory since November 2021.

The first warnings were issued after MDIFW began testing PFAS levels in wildlife harvested in the Fairfield area just north of Portland, a sector with some of the state’s highest known PFAS soil concentrations. When high levels of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid), a compound in the PFAS family of chemicals, were detected in five of eight deer tested in October 2021, MDIFW and MCDC issued an advisory for 200 square kilometers in the area “off an abundance out of public health caution.”

In 2023, the ‘Do Not Eat’ limits were reduced to 40 kilometers. The reduction came after results from testing 60 deer and 51 wild turkeys showed that only those from the most contaminated fields had detectable levels of PFAS/PFOS in muscle tissue.

At present, PFAS levels in muscle tissue have only been assessed in deer and turkeys in the limited advisory areas. However, targeted sampling from other sectors is currently underway. If high levels are detected, additional hunting areas may be added to the advisory.

What are Forever Chemicals?

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals commonly used to repel water, oil and stains. First popularized by Dupont in the form of Teflon-coated nonstick cookware, today nearly 15,000 different chemicals fall under the PFAS umbrella. They are commonly found in products such as firefighting foam, food packaging, raincoats and shampoo.

PFAS were nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they contain strong chemical bonds that are highly resistant to degradation, meaning they can persist and accumulate in the environment and human body for decades. Over time, PFAS have found their way into our soil, air and water systems. When people eat the meat of infected animals, they risk ingesting PFAS, which can build up in tissues over time. Research links PFAS exposure to a range of health problems, including liver damage, thyroid diseasesAnd certain cancers.

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set enforceable levels of PFOS at four parts per trillion. However, the EPA concluded that there are no safe levels of the chemical compound in drinking water. Although the use of PFOS in manufacturing has been phased out nationwide, “fields with a history of biosolids application still have high levels of PFOS in soils and some surface waters many years after the last application,” according to MDIFW.

In addition to the animals harvested this hunting season, MDIFW advises hunters to discard any meat in their freezers from the advisory areas due to the possibility of high PFAS contamination from previous years.

Read next: PFAS explained: These Forever chemicals are being banned from a variety of outdoor products. Now gear manufacturers are scrambling

Maine isn’t the only state warning hunters about the dangers of PFAS-contaminated meat. Michigan, the first state to test for permanent chemicals in white-tailed deer, issued a “Do Not Eat.” advice in 2018 for deer harvested in the Clark’s Marsh area of ​​Oscoda Township. The state also recommends against eating organ meats from deer, fish and other wild game caught anywhere in the state.
In 2020 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued a “Do Not Eat” advisory for deer liver harvested within five miles of a factory that produces firefighting foam. New Hampshire also recommends hunters avoid eating deer liver due to elevated PFAS levels in samples tested across the state.