Fires, Foams, Fluorinated s, and Fish: What s next? Michigan s Premier Public Health Conference Session 202, October 22, 2014 Christina Bush, MDCH Susan Manente, MDCH Denise Bryan, DHD#2
TARS - Who we are (Toxicology and Response Section) MDCH Public Health Administration Bureau of Disease Control, Prevention, & Epidemiology Division of Environmental Health» TARS Cooperative agreement with federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
TARS What we do Site assessment / community outreach (Superfund, spills, emergencies) Eat Safe Fish program Mercury, PCBs, dioxin, pesticides Wild game advisories as needed Toxics Hotline 1-800-MI-TOXIC (1-800-648-6942) Websites (www.michigan.gov/ ) mdch-toxics, eatsafefish, mercury, mold, et al.
PFCs - Chemistry PFC = perfluorinated compound Carbon-fluorine bond extremely strong PFCs resist breaking down in environment persistent PFOS PFOS bioaccumulates (builds up) in food chain usually highest in liver, then muscle
Uses of PFCs Personal/household products Fabric treatments (stain resistance, water proofing) Soaps & other cleaning products Shampoos Cosmetics Dental floss Waxes Cookware coatings
Uses (cont.) Commercial/industrial uses Leather treatments Tires Paints and special coatings Airplane hydraulic fluid Fire fighting foams (AFFF)
PFCs in the Environment Regular use Household Commercial/industrial Contamination sites AFFF used on Class B fires (air fields, petroleum refineries) Manufacturer releases (3M in MN, DuPont in OH)
Exposure to PFCs NHANES data Food Fish and wild game near contamination sites Garden produce does not take up (MN study) Some food packaging Drinking water (C8 study) Air, dust, other
ug/l (geom. mean) PFCs in Human Serum (NHANES) 35 30 25 20 15 10 PFOS PFOA PFHxS PFNA 5 0 1999-2000 2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-2008 2009-2010 Survey Years
PFCs - Toxicity Most studies have been on PFOA and PFOS PFOS health concerns: Thyroid Liver Immune system Development (fetus, child)
Case Study Former Wurtsmith AFB
Fish Consumption Screening Values for PFOS (MDCH 2014) Meal Category FCSV Ranges meals per month ng/g (ppb) 16 9 12 >9 to 13 8 >13 to 19 4 >19 to 38 2 >38 to 75 1 >75 to 150 6 meals per year >150 to 300 Do Not Eat >300
Clark s Marsh fish Waterbody Clark's Marsh - Upper Pond Species Collection Year(s) No. detected / No. samples PFOS Concentration Range (ppb) Largemouth Bass 2012 4 / 4 3,110-8,720 Perch 2012 2 / 2 2,750-2,930 Pumpkinseed 2011, 2012 19 / 19 1,990-9,580 Clark's Marsh - Middle Pond Clark's Marsh - Lower Pond Perch 2012 1 / 1 1,770 Pumpkinseed 2012 4 / 4 2,760-4,500 Bluegill 2011 1 / 1 1,290 Largemouth Bass 2012 4 / 4 683-1,100 Pumpkinseed 2011, 2012 7 / 7 334-828 Guideline: Do not eat any fish from Clark s Marsh ( Do Not Eat level is > 300 ppb)
Lower Au Sable River fish Waterbody Species Collection Year(s) No. detected / No. samples Lower Au Sable River Bluegill 2012 1 / 1 41 Pumpkinseed 2012 3 / 3 35-2,956 Rainbow Trout 2013 10 / 10 7-28 Rock Bass 2012 8 / 8 7-49 Smallmouth Bass 2011, 2012 20 / 20 14-424 Walleye 2013 7 / 7 10-30 White Sucker 2011 10 / 10 6-143 Guidelines: Do not eat non-migratory fish. See Eat Safe Fish guidelines for other chemicals and for migratory fish. PFOS Concentration Range (ppb)
Eat Safe Fish guidelines: PFOS vs. other chemicals PFOS may not be the most restrictive guideline for a waterbody Other chemicals typically increase up the food chain; PFOS does not appear to act that way (small fish can be an issue) PFOS and mercury are in the filet and cannot be trimmed out; other chemicals typically are in fat Due to newness, some PFOS guidelines are policy-driven
MDCH Outreach Efforts Two public meetings Fact sheets Signs Two versions of the Au Sable sign; they disappear quickly Brochure Brochure and signs were developed in collaboration with community members Distributed to local businesses, agencies/offices, groups
Outreach Challenges MDCH role is to protect public health Area economy relies on tourism and fishing PFOS is a new player Rather new to ESF Guidelines Need more data/fish Cleanup takes time Contamination will persist for years
DHD2 Collaboration Role of Local Public Health Health Officer and Environmental Health Staff
DHD2 Commissioners Community Partners Media WIC Education targeting pregnant women and their families
Next Steps Wurtsmith AFB Health consultation report re fish (in progress) Drinking water investigation Wild game investigation Michigan Collecting data on several surface waters and fish Assessing need for outreach in other areas/statewide
PFOS was the predominant PFC detected in edible portion samples. No apparent correlation between length or lipid amounts and PFOS levels. Similar PFOS levels between fish species from the same locations. PFOS levels are high enough in some fish for MDCH to issue fish consumption guidelines.
MDCH Contacts Christina Bush, Toxicologist 517-335-9717 bushc6@michigan.gov Sue Manente, Health Educator 517-335-9003 manentes@michigan.gov Toxics Hotline (any questions on chemicals) 1-800-648-6942 (MI-TOXIC)
Resources Division of Environmental Health webpage www.michigan.gov/mdch-toxics MDCH s Wurtsmith AFB website Click on Health Assessments and Related Documents Scroll down to Wurtsmith link www.michigan.gov/eatsafefish Documents in Oscoda Township library Forest Service station