“Forever chemicals” (PFAS) have been detected across all five Great Lakes, posing a long-term threat to the drinking water of over 30 million people and a multi-billion dollar fishing industry. These synthetic substances persist for centuries, and recent studies highlight their concentration in fish and the ongoing struggle to regulate them.
In Michigan alone, about one out of every three water bodies tested has a PFAS fish consumption advisory.
“These chemicals don’t break down in the environment quickly,” Tasha Stoiber, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group and co-author of the study, said. “We’re looking at legacy chemicals that have been used for decades—some of these were phased out in the early 2000s and yet, we’re still seeing high, concerning levels in these fish.”
The study, which was conducted by the Environmental Working Group, found that freshwater fish across the country have high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Scientist said that eating just one freshwater fish can be equivalent to drinking PFAS-contaminated water for an entire month and new guidelines have recently increased the number of “do not eat” warnings, which has had an effect on the fishing industry in the the Great Lakes.
And in the Detroit River, the sample taken from a largemouth bass had 64,200 parts per trillion of PFAS.
“My concern for the Detroit River is that we do have a lot of anglers and fisher people of color. Sometimes this [fish] is their primary source of protein in their diet, and it does raise flags for environmental justice concerns on the Detroit River,” Donna Kashian, co-founder of the Riverwalkers, which advises Detroit fishers on the contamination risks when fishing in the river.
Some routes of contamination include atmospheric deposition, groundwater plumes—such as Chemicals from military fire-training sites (using AFFF foam) and industrial sludge used as fertilizer seep into subterranean reserves—and inflow and sediment.
Communities like Chicago and Detroit also draw drinking water from the lakes, which are contaminated via industrial runoff, wastewater treatment plants, and contaminated groundwater plumes.
In May 2025, the U.S. EPA rolled back drinking water standards for four out of six previously regulated PFAS compounds, while the compliance deadline for public water systems to meet remaining limits for PFOA and PFOS was extended from 2029 to 2031.
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