PFAS Found in Iosco County Deer, Do Not Eat Advisory in Effect

The Michigan DNR and Department of Health and Human Services has issued a Do Not Eat advisory for deer taken in the area of Clark’s Marsh in Iosco County’s Oscoda Township.

There is evidence that deer living within a three mile radius of the marsh have PFAS in their muscle tissue and livers. PFAS, also known as forever chemicals because they can last for thousands of years, are linked to numerous health problems in humans, including increased cholesterol levels, decreased response to vaccines in children and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer.

The PFAS have been linked to the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, which was also listed as a Superfund site in 1994 with various chemicals leaching into the surrounding area. PFAS were detected from the base in 2010.

Do Not Eat advisories have also been listed for fish, aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals, amphibians, mollusks, reptiles and arthropods in the same area. For more information on what game is safe to eat around the state, visit the MDHHS website.