The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will issue a new type of advisory about consuming fish caught in some parts of the state.
That’s because recent data indicated higher levels of PFAS, or forever chemicals.
The advisories fall under three categories: safe to follow standard EPA and FDA guidelines, limited consumption, and do not eat. It’s the second contaminant the state will be monitoring, alongside mercury.
PFAS have been linked to cancer and other health problems.
While the department’s map doesn’t currently list any PFAS advisories, they could start in the next few weeks. Erin Jordan with ADEQ is overseeing the program. It will specifically focus on PFOS, a type of PFAS.
“It's really to empower our anglers out in the community, give them those decision-making tools to determine what they want to eat from what they catch in our environment," Jordan said.
Jordan says the early data results are showing some fish with do-not-eat levels, but did not say which lake that fish came from.
-
The Mayor of Willcox in Southern Arizona is optimistic that Chiricahua National Monument will soon be the country’s 64th National Park. -
he event, called PhiusCon, is being put on by a nonprofit called Phius, which certifies professionals in its passive building standard. This is the first time in the conference’s more than two-decade history that it’s taking place in the Southwest. -
Amazon wants to help save the Colorado River. That is a good thing. But commentator Herb Paine asks: Is it enough? -
The Forest Service is closing off a long stretch of the border to protesters and the public alike, raising issues of transparency as they claim its unrelated to confrontations. -
The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Bird Alliance have filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming it has violated the Endangered Species Act. The Verde River is home to several species protected by the act. The nonprofits claim the species' habitats are impacted by illegal livestock grazing.
