Fish Consumption Based PFAS Risk Assessment for Recreational Anglers in Chicago, IL & Benton Harbor, MI

Introduction: Recreational anglers who consume caught fish from Lake Michigan experience concentrated exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the Hazard Index associated with this exposure for specific communities was unknown (Koulini et al., 2024; Fair et al., 2019). Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, are two cities on opposite sides of Lake Michigan with active angler populations and PFAS contamination sites being monitored by their respective state programs (State of Michigan, 2024; IDPH, 2024; US EPA, 2022). This study aimed to use survey data from these two cities to estimate community-specific fish consumption by demographic, and estimate their risk for adverse health effects from fish consumption based PFAS exposure. Methods: This risk assessment used the EPA risk assessment method for exposure through consuming a contaminated food item, which included an Average Daily Dose (ADD), Hazard Quotient (HQ), and a Hazard Index (HI) (Erdal, S., 2007; US EPA, 2015). Exposure model assumptions included PFAS concentration values from Miranda et al. paired with EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System reference doses (IRIS RfD), and PFAS concentration values from the State of Michigan paired with a Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) RfD from Pachkowski et al. (US EPA, 2011; ATSDR, 2003). Fish consumption survey data was compiled to assess consumption patterns, and IBM SPSS Modeler was used to perform an Asymmetric Two-sided Chi-Square test with a 95th % Confidence Interval for each location by demographic factor. Results: After cleaning the survey data, there were eighty-six total participants, with seventy in Benton Harbor and sixteen in Chicago. Eighty percent of all respondents reported consuming caught fish more than monthly, and more than thirty-eight percent reported weekly consumption. All HQ’s and HI’s were greater than one. The highest HI was 2,330 for Slimy Sculpin consumption in both locations, and the lowest HI was 19.9 for Alewife consumption in both locations. Conclusion: Anglers in Chicago, Illinois, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, consume locally caught fish at high levels (more than one meal per week). High consumption of locally caught fish in these environmental justice communities puts them at risk of exposure to hazardous levels of PFAS.