Some Americans buy their turkeys at the grocery store. Some order them pre-cooked from a restaurant. But for a surprising number of Americans, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a turkey hunt.
But this year, citing PFAS concerns, Maine has issued “do not eat” orders for wild turkeys in certain areas, tossing a wrench in some Thanksgiving plans.
And some other states are issuing “do not eat” orders for various animals, including duck in Wisconsin and deer in Michigan, because of concerns that these animals are contaminated with the dangerous chemicals known as PFAS.
You might know PFAS better as “forever chemicals.’ They’re a ubiquitous class of chemicals used to keep products durable, including in non-stick pans and stain-preventing carpets. And they last, more or less, forever. Hence, the nickname.
People come into contact with PFAS frequently, and researchers have linked even low levels of exposure to PFAS to serious health issues, including some kinds of cancer.
How are there PFAS in turkeys?
Forever chemicals spill into the natural environment through multiple pathways. Some find their way into waterways and soil as runoff from the plants where they’re made and used. Some get into the air and water as we use the myriad consumer products that contain PFAS,, get it on our hands, and even put it in or on our bodies.
Once PFAS get into us, that means they get into our waste too. And when companies turn sewage sludge into fertilizer, PFAS is then spread on the land where we raise food.
Any of these paths can lead PFAS to get into the tissues of a duck, a deer or a wild turkey.
The turkey in the coal mine
PFAS contamination should not be depriving Americans of being able to hunt, kill, dress and eat a wild turkey for Thanksgiving.
It is also a reminder of a deeper problem. Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, wild turkeys that are unsafe to eat are a reminder that we contaminate the natural world at our own peril. When the consequences of using forever chemicals potentially include more kidney and testicular cancers, more parents who can’t have children, and more low birth weights among newborns, among a longer list of health effects that nobody wants to experience, we have to ask: Are PFAS worth it?
How can we keep ourselves—and turkeys—safe from PFAS?
To keep wild game and people safe from forever chemicals, we’re working to stop their widespread use and application.
For example, fertilizer companies should stop marketing PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge to American farmers. Unfortunately, some fertilizer companies are lobbying Congress to grant them immunity from lawsuits where their products have contaminated cropland. .
Send a letter to your senators urging them to let farmers hold these companies accountable and stop further PFAS contamination.
