New guidelines make Michigan fourth-most protective state nationally, protects public health

JUNE 3, 2025

LANSING, MI – The Great Lakes PFAS Action Network (GLPAN) today issued the following statement applauding the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) announcement of critical updates to its Eat Safe Fish guidelines, significantly lowering the state’s PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) “Do Not Eat” threshold and expanding the number of Michigan water bodies under advisories, which will provide critical guidance for  Michigan families and communities to protect themselves from toxic PFAS chemicals in locally caught fish. PFOS is a specific type of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). 

The updated guidelines lower Michigan’s “Do Not Eat” level for PFOS from 300 parts per billion (ppb) to 50 ppb – a six-fold reduction that reflects growing evidence about the health risks associated with PFAS exposure. As a result, the number of water bodies with at least one species of fish under a “Do Not Eat” advisory due to PFOS has more than doubled, rising from 92 to 188. MDHHS will release a full list of impacted waterbodies. 

“This is a major win for public health and a long-overdue acknowledgment of the science on PFAS,” said Tony Spaniola, co-chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. “These new guidelines will help protect people across Michigan – especially in frontline communities that rely on fish as a food source. I urge MDHHS and local health departments to get the word out to impacted communities without delay.”

“I fish in Southeast Michigan because it’s part of our culture, our community, and our way of life,” said Jerrad Jankowski, a Southeast Michigan fisherman and GLPAN member. “It’s not right that people have to wonder if the fish they catch will make them sick. These new guidelines are a critical tool that will help protect the health, families, and livelihoods of fishermen like me across our state.”

PFOS, one of the most studied PFAS compounds, is known to accumulate in fish and humans, contributing to a range of serious health problems. These “forever chemicals” do not break down in the environment and continue to contaminate waters across Michigan due to industrial pollution, wastewater discharge, and military activities. The State of Michigan issued its first “Do Not Eat” fish advisory for PFOS in 2012 for the Au Sable River in Oscoda. 

Michigan’s updated PFOS guidance now ranks as the fourth most protective in the nation, following New Jersey, Washington State, and Connecticut.