Elevated levels of mercury and PFOS found in Great Salt Lake waterfowl

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Public health officials have updated consumption advisories for waterfowl in the Great Salt Lake for their elevated levels of mercury and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).

The mercury and PFOS was found after testing conducted by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Ginger Zamora, Public Information Officer for the Utah Department of Enviornmental Quality, shared the maximum number of meals per month for waterfowl:

Northern shoveler (mercury): Men 16 and older and women 50 and older should not have more than four meals, children ages 6-16 and women of childbearing age should not have more than one meal, and children younger than six and pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume northern shoveler.

Gadwall (PFOS): Men 16 and older, women 50 and older, children ages 6-16, and women of childbearing age should not have more than four meals. Children younger than six and pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume more than two meals.

Mallard (PFOS): Men 16 and older, women 50 and older, children ages 6-16, and women of childbearing age should not have more than five meals. Children younger than six and pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume more than two meals.

“Our intent is not to frighten anyone or discourage anybody from hunting,” Ben Holcomb, Project Manager for the Utah Division of Water Quality, told ABC4. “We certainly encourage folks getting outdoors and enjoying nature and hunting and harvesting waterfowl. The goal is to really educate them on what their risks are and the frequency, or at least the recommendations for frequency of consuming these particular species.”

Zamora said that there is no health risk from mercury or PFOS in the water for recreation such as swimming, boating, or waterskiing.

While the waterfowl tested were from the Great Salt Lake that does not mean that the lake has a uniquely high concentration of these chemicals. “The Great Salt Lake has the majority of the wetlands in the state, and that’s where we tend to find the waterfowl,” Holcomb said.

What is mercury and PFOS?

Zamora shared what mercury and PFOS are, along with potential risks:

“Mercury is a naturally-occurring metal that can be transformed into methylmercury, a toxic form found in some lakes and rivers. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, women who are breastfeeding, and young children are most at risk to methylmercury exposure, because even small amounts over time can affect brain and nervous system development,” she said.

Holcomb expanded on that, explaining that children are most at risk because their bodies are smaller and less developed, so their livers and other organs are more sensitive to toxins like this.

“PFOS is a man-made chemical belonging to a group of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminants,” Zamora said. PFAS are frequently called ‘forever chemicals’ because they stay in the environment for a very long time before breaking down.

Testing for PFAS is a relatively new parameter for DEQ to be evaluating. “Now we’re screening for them through other places in our environment where people may come across them,” Holcomb said. “Wetlands, they’re great at filtering out pollutants, but the bad side is they also hold those things, and waterfowl, which we like to hunt and consume, hang out in those places.”

PFAS have been used in many consumer goods and industrial products, and they can be throughout the environment including in the air, water, and soil. Holcomb explained that PFOS in particular has been as a coating in clothes and couches as flame retardant. It’s also used to put out wildfires and chemical fires.

However, Holcomb is hopeful that the PFOS levels in waterfowl are an artifact of what’s still remaining in the environment, since PFOS has largely been discontinued from production. “Hopefully what we’re seeing now or today is kind of the peak of what we’re seeing in the environment,” he said.

Holcomb added that the short-term effects of PFOS are not the concern; rather, it’s what it causes in the long term, and Zamora said the same thing. “Repeated exposure to PFOS above certain levels has been linked to problems with cholesterol, the immune system, liver function, and small decreases in birth weight,” Zamora explained.

More information can be found on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease registry.