How dirty fish can make us sick
Human health risk assessment of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some bad chemicals called PFAS can build up in fish we eat, especially because they don’t go away easily. Scientists used math models to guess how much builds up and found even tiny amounts during pregnancy might harm babies.
Surprising Findings
Drinking water has lower PFAS levels than fish, dust, and even soil
Most people assume contaminated water is the main exposure route, but this ranking shows other sources — like indoor dust in certain buildings — are far worse.
Practical Takeaways
Limit consumption of fish from contaminated waterways, especially during pregnancy
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some bad chemicals called PFAS can build up in fish we eat, especially because they don’t go away easily. Scientists used math models to guess how much builds up and found even tiny amounts during pregnancy might harm babies.
Surprising Findings
Drinking water has lower PFAS levels than fish, dust, and even soil
Most people assume contaminated water is the main exposure route, but this ranking shows other sources — like indoor dust in certain buildings — are far worse.
Practical Takeaways
Limit consumption of fish from contaminated waterways, especially during pregnancy
Publication
Journal
The Science of the total environment
Year
2025
Authors
Vasiliki Polychronidou, R. Nag
Related Content
Claims (4)
Some chemicals called PFAS might not be safe at any level, and the EPA says even tiny amounts could be a problem.
Scientists can use a special model that tracks how fish absorb and get rid of harmful chemicals like PFAS to predict how much builds up in their bodies — which helps keep our food and environment safer.
PFAS chemicals build up in fish, and since people around the world eat a lot of fish, this could be bad for our health. These chemicals are found most in dust from firefighting buildings and least in drinking water.
If a pregnant person is exposed to certain chemicals called PFOS and PFOA, it might harm the baby’s development, and even very tiny amounts could be risky.