Locally Caught Freshwater Fish

Fish taken from local rivers and lakes rather than bought.

38High burden · out of 100

Cleaner swapCheck your state, Tribal or territory fish advisory before eating the catch

How this score is built

100Start
72.4Chemical hazard 6 × 4.6−27.6
58.8Everyday exposure 4 × 3.4−13.6
38Persistence 8 × 2.6−20.8
HighThe band38 sits in 20–39.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
Input	Rating	Evidence
Chemical hazard	6/10	EFSA's contaminants panel judged effects on the immune system the most critical for PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS, set a tolerable weekly intake of 4.4 ng/kg body weight for their sum, and concluded that parts of the European population exceed it. Risk to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances in food · EFSA J 2020 DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6223 · PMID 32994824 · Abstract · read 2026-10-05
Everyday exposure	4/10	In over 500 composite fillet samples from US EPA monitoring (2013-2015), median total PFAS was 9,500 ng/kg in rivers and streams and 11,800 ng/kg in the Great Lakes, 278 times the levels FDA found in commercially relevant fish; PFOS averaged 74% of the total. Locally caught freshwater fish across the United States are likely a significant source of exposure to PFOS and other perfluorinated compounds · Environ Res 2023 DOI 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115165 · PMID 36584847 · Abstract · read 2026-10-05 In US EPA's national surveys of fish fillets from 164 urban river and 157 Great Lakes sites, PFOS was the most frequently detected perfluorinated compound, at up to 127 ng/g in rivers and 80 ng/g in the Great Lakes. Perfluorinated compounds in fish from U.S. urban rivers and the Great Lakes · Sci Total Environ 2014 DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.126 · PMID 25190044 · Abstract · read 2026-10-05
Persistence	8/10	After residents of Ronneby, Sweden, stopped drinking PFAS-contaminated water, their mean serum half-lives were estimated at 5.3 years for PFHxS, 3.4 years for PFOS and 2.7 years for PFOA. Half-lives of PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA after end of exposure to contaminated drinking water · Occup Environ Med 2018 DOI 10.1136/oemed-2017-104651 · PMID 29133598 · Abstract, Results · read 2026-10-05

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

The persistence rating is the standout concern here — these compounds linger in the body and environment for years. In July 2024 the EPA added twelve PFAS to the contaminants it recommends states and Tribes monitor in locally caught freshwater fish, and says its national fish-tissue survey has found PFAS at levels that may affect health. Advisories are issued water by water, so which lake or river the fish came from matters more than the species.

Evidence strength: strong

Sources: US EPA news release, 11 July 2024, 'EPA Releases New Science-Based Recommendations to Help More States, Tribes, and Territories Reduce Exposure to PFAS in Fish'; US EPA, 'Meaningful and Achievable Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Risk'

See where your whole exposure load is highest — free Exposure Score →

This entry and the whole Index, on your phone.

Lower-exposure choices

Cruciferous VegetablesMinimal · Food

Filtered Black CoffeeMinimal · Food

Small Oily Fish (Sardines)Low · Food

Organic StrawberriesLow · Food

All 50 food entries, highest burden first →