PFAS levels prompt recommendation of limit for consumption of fish caught in Lake Congamond

SOUTHWICK — Lake Congamond is contaminated enough with PFAS that the state recently issued an advisory recommending individuals eat fish caught in the three ponds no more than once a week.

Swimming poses no significant pollution risk, according to the state Department of Public Health’s advisory.

“There was no recommendation for lake water if you’re just swimming,” city Health Director Thomas Hibert said.

Hibert said the level of PFAS measured in the ponds was 17.3 nanograms per liter, which is lower than the 20 nanograms per liter that would trigger the waters to be published as potentially hazardous.

Hibert noted that while the state asks most people to eat no more than one Congamond fish per week, there is a stricter recommendation for children under 12 and for people who are breastfeeding, are pregnant or could become pregnant. These people should not eat fish from ponds.

During the survey at the lake, researchers sampled the water at various locations, primarily those considered swimming areas, and captured three different types of fish: brown bullheads (a type of catfish), bluegills and pumpkinseeds, also known as pond perch.

The highest concentrations of PFAS in the tissues of fish sampled were in blue gills, while pumpkin seeds had the lowest. Largemouth bass sampled, but not caught in the ponds by researchers, had the greatest amount of PFAS contamination, according to the report.

Fish sampled from the ponds exceeded the PFAS limit of 0.22 parts per billion, which DPH considers an “action level” advisory.

During the summer and fall of 2022, surface water and fish tissue samples were collected from 52 bodies of water across the state, including Lake Congamond, according to a published report by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP report says PFAS contamination is a widespread problem in Massachusetts.

“Concentrations of PFAS in surface waters and fish tissues in many states and countries continue to be a major concern for human health and the environment. Although limited to freshwaters, the results of this study add to the growing body of evidence that PFAS are ubiquitous in the environment,” according to the report.

In fact, according to the DEP report, every body of water tested had measurable levels of PFAS contamination in the waters and in the fish caught.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals used since the 1950s to make stain-resistant, water-resistant, and non-stick products, and are widely used in common consumer products such as food packaging, outerwear, coverings, carpets, leather goods and other products. They have also been used in firefighting foam, as well as other industrial processes. Firefighting foam runoff in Barnes is believed to have caused high levels of PFAS contamination in Westfield’s groundwater.

According to a DPH fact sheet, studies in laboratory animals and people indicate that exposure to PFAS can cause adverse health effects.

In humans, PFAS have been linked to increased levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes, an increased risk of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, a slight decrease in birth weight and to a reduced response to vaccines in children.

There is also evidence that long-term exposure to high levels of PFOA (a component or “analyte” of PFAS) may increase the risk of kidney and testicular cancer in men.