For the third year, state officials warn hunters not to eat the meat of wildlife they kill in certain areas of Iosco county.
Officials from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reminded hunters of the ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory that has been affected in an Oscoda Township marsh. PFAS, or perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, is a family of chemicals known to be harmful to humans. Traces were found in high levels in wildlife surrounding Clark’s Marsh, specifically.
In 2018, the MDHHS began an effort to identify the original water source containing the PFAS. Deer heads were collected and tested. One near the marsh was found to have very high levels of the chemical.
Puneet Vij, a toxicologist with the MDHHS, said the warning includes all wildlife, not just deer.
“MDHHS was trying to remind the public that Clark’s Marsh is an area where hunting wildlife or fishing for the purposes of consuming meat is not recommended.”
Andrea Keatley, an Environmental Assessment & ATSDR Unit Manager with the MDHHS, said the warning in effect is to protect residents.
“Because of the concentration of that one deer was so high, and thinking about how deer are eaten it’s not, you know, you don’t just have one meal, one fish meal, you’re eating on that same deer, throughout the year, you and your family,” she said. “We wanted to make sure that we were being protective.”
