Scientists are warning San Francisco-area residents about dangerous "forever chemicals" that have slipped into the Bay, but that isn't stopping local anglers from fishing there.

What's happening?

A recent study discovered high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in 10 species of fish that live throughout the Bay, including largemouth bass, white sturgeon, and common carp. 

Bay Nature reported on the findings and local anglers' response. The publication said that PFAS enters the Bay through wastewater, mostly from residential uses.

Scientists say anglers in South Bay, an area known for its diverse population, are likely at the highest risk. But the publication said residents there have long been told the area is toxic due to mercury-tainted fish and other contaminants.

"We're overburdened by advisories," Anthony Khalil, sport fisherman and senior community engagement officer at San Francisco Estuary Institute, told Bay Nature. "There's signs everywhere in certain communities … that say 'step out,' 'radioactive,' or 'don't fish here.'"

Long-time Bay-area angler Apollo-Genesis Braddock-Layton, who sometimes fishes in South Bay, told the publication that while learning about the contamination makes him hesitant about fishing in the area, "I would most definitely go back."

Why is this study important?

PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in products like non-stick cookware and water-resistant clothing, as well as firefighting foams since the 1940s. 

They have been linked to health problems like decreased fertility, increased risk of certain cancers, and reduced ability of the body's immune system to fight infections.

Bay Nature said that certain communities are at heightened risk for PFAS-contaminated seafood. For instance, it cited a fish consumption study that surveyed Chinese immigrants in San Francisco and Vietnamese immigrants in San José, finding that these groups eat seafood at triple the rate of the average American adult. 

The publication added that many Native American groups rely on wild-caught food, often eating many parts of a fish's body, including the brain.

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"This work highlights the widespread contamination of PFAS in fish from an urban estuary across a decade of monitoring with important public health implications," the authors stated. 

"San Francisco Bay fish are likely a key source of exposure to PFOS and other PFAS for those who consume them, with more significant impacts to subsistence fishers and others with high consumption rates."

What's being done about PFAS?

California does not have any PFAS advisories on fish, but current warnings for heavy metals and PCBs could be enough for now, according to Miguel Méndez, lead author of the new study.

"We're seeing that those same fish that have high levels of these other contaminants also have high levels of PFAS," he told Bay Nature. "We think right now, following those consumption guidelines in the Bay are mostly protective."

Meanwhile, scientists are looking at ways to remove PFAS from the environment. For instance, one group of researchers at the University of Illinois has discovered a way to remove the full spectrum of these chemicals from water in a single process. And another team is using egg whites to filter PFAS from ocean water.

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