Industrial chemical found in fish near 3M plant

There are more than 7 million PFAS and over 21 million fluorinated compounds listed in PubChem (2023).
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Industrial chemical found in fish near 3M plant

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First Posted: 05 Mar 2006 09:46 pm

Industrial chemical found in fish near 3M plant

Associated Press - February 25, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS - High levels of an industrial chemical have been found in fish taken from the Mississippi River near a 3M plant, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Blood samples taken from fish in the river near the Cottage Grove plant showed high levels of PFOS, a chemical manufactured at the plant until 2002 and used in stain-resistant treatments for carpets, fabrics and paper products. Some chemical concentrations were 10 times higher than had been reported anywhere for fish or wildlife, officials said.

"The results were startlingly high," said Don Kriens, principal engineer for MPCA. "The fish are definitely contaminated with this stuff."

There is no way to determine the potential risk for human beings, because the chemicals were found in fish blood, which people do not consume, said state officials who reviewed the results. But legislators are concerned about the chemicals and the Senate environmental and natural resources committee has scheduled a hearing on the matter for Monday.

"At this point I don't see this as a big looming health threat, but it certainly bears more investigation," said Jim Kelly, health assessor for the Minnesota Department of Health.

Bill Nelson, a 3M spokesman, said the company hasn't seen the MPCA data. He said 3M took fish near the plant last August for study, and is preparing a report for state officials.

Until recently, local monitoring of the environmental impact of the 3M plant in Cottage Grove has detected PFOS and related chemicals primarily in groundwater near former landfills. With the new findings, the focus has broadened to include the river.

Some natural resource officials are concerned because wildlife consume fish blood as well as flesh and internal organs. People who fish in that part of the river have already been advised not to eat more than one meal per month of some species because of mercury and PCB contamination, Kelly said.

The MPCA researchers worked with the Department of Natural Resources to collect about 100 fish last October along a 1.5-mile segment of the Mississippi River downstream from the Cottage Grove plant. They took blood samples from about two dozen of the larger fish species and sent them to a lab to analyze levels of PFOS and a dozen related compounds.

Fardin Oliaei, an MPCA researcher who worked with Kriens on the project, said the test included five white bass, six smallmouth bass, five walleyes, five carp, and one smallmouth buffalo. PFOS in the blood ranged from a low of 139 parts per billion in one of the walleyes to 29,600 parts per billion in one white bass, she said.

Oliaei has criticized the MPCA for not being aggressive enough in researching the 3M chemicals, filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit alleging interference with her work, and left the agency early this month as part of an out-of-court settlement.

The state health department recommends that PFOS levels in drinking water be no higher than 1 part per billion, but it does not have a recommendation on how much PFOS in fish blood or fish tissue would be safe for consumption.

Animal lab studies have linked exposure to PFOS with certain cancers, liver damage and developmental problems. But 3M spokesman Nelson said the company's extensive research, some of it involving production workers who worked closely with PFOS and PFOA for years, has shown no adverse health effects in humans.

The company has phased out the production of the chemicals and replaced them with other compounds, he said.

SOURCE:
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/dulut ... 962359.htm
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