Fish from Monroe County creek found with high PFAS levels

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources is urging people to limit consumption of fish from a Monroe County creek due to PFAS contamination.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the DNR issued the warning Thursday. The department says brook and brown trout caught in Silver Creek last year had high levels of PFAS. The DNR advises that people shouldn’t eat more than one meal of brook or brown trout from the creek per month.

The department and officials at Fort McCoy plan further tests this year to determine the extent of contamination in Silver Creek.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, don’t easily break down in the environment and have been used for decades in a range of products, including stain-resistant sprays.
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The chemicals have been detected in humans, wildlife, fish and in the groundwater, surface water, soil and air. They have also been found in more than 40 rural and urban areas across the state, including in Marinette, Superior, Madison, Milwaukee and La Crosse.