Concerning levels of so-called “forever chemicals” have been detected in several species of fish, some of them used in the quintessential British specialty fish and chips.
According to the Daily Mail, independent journalist group Watershed Investigations collected data from the Center for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). CEFAS, an executive agency attached to the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) tested 53 fish samples obtained from the Thames, Mersey and Wyre rivers for traces of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The journalists found that flounder, dab and plaice were the species with high levels of PFAS. One flounder taken from London’s Woolwich district, located along the Thames, had the highest PFAS level at 52.1 micrograms per kilogram (mcg/kg). According to them, fish ingest the forever chemicals while swimming in the three rivers.
Moreover, some samples contained excessively high levels of PFAS. Using the flounder with 52.1 mcg/kg as an example, an average adult who eats just 170 grams (0.4 pounds) of this fish more than once every five months would exceed the safe PFAS threshold set by the European Food Safety Authority. Interestingly, the three fish species – flounder, dab and plaice – are used for fish and chips, one of the U.K.’s national dishes.
Poster Comment:
“forever chemicals” are in American rain water.