Detroit
Lifestyle
Maine asks hunters to avoid eating deer, turkey in some areas because of PFAS contamination
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s traditional fall hunting seasons are in full swing, but hunters are being asked to avoid eating their game in parts of the state because of the possibility of harmful chemicals in animal meat. Hunters from around the Northeast trek each autumn to Maine, where deer and wild turkeys are two of the most popular game animals. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said it has issued a “do not eat wildlife consumption advisory” in several communities in the central part of the state. The department said in a statement that it sampled wildlife in the area and found they had levels of PFAS in their muscle tissue that warranted the advisory. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that persist in the environment and are linked to human health problems including cancer and low birth weight. “The advisory areas encompass areas that have been contaminated by high levels of PFAS through the spreading of municipal and/or industrial sludge that contained PFAS. Deer and turkey feeding in these contaminated areas have ingested these chemicals and now have PFAS in their meat and organs,” the department said Thursday.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.