DPH: Fish warning for Lake Quinsigamond tightened due to PFAS

WORCESTER, MA — A warning first issued two years ago against eating fish in Lake Quinsigamond was recently updated to include a new class of fish.

The state Department of Health issued a consumption advisory in 2022 after fish in 13 of the state’s waters were found to have high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as PFAS).

In the original recommendation, the DPH did not include farmed fish, but now it does. Initially, the DPH excluded fish farmed in fish farms because it was assumed that their contamination with PFAS was limited.

Anyone who catches fish in the lake on the Worcester or Shrewsbury sides should avoid eating fish. The specific guidelines advise anyone under 12 and pregnant and nursing women to limit fish consumption to one meal every six months. For everyone else, the limit is one meal every two months. The state has not issued any warnings about swimming in the lake and says sport fishing is safe.

PFAS chemicals are widespread and have been used for years as coatings on products like nonstick pans and waterproof jackets. The chemicals are used so widely that they have leached into bodies of water and water supplies across the state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS chemicals can cause a range of health effects, from reduced antibody response to vaccines to life-threatening conditions such as preeclampsia in pregnant women.

The DPH’s PFAS fishing alert also includes Ashland Reservoir, Chicopee Reservoir in Chicopee, Lake Cochituate in Natick, Dennison Lake in Winchendon, Dunn Pond in Gardner, Fearing Pond in Plymouth, Houghtons Pond in Milton, Pearce Lake in Saugus, Pequot Pond in Westfield, Walden Pond, Wallum Lake in Douglas and Watsons Pond in Taunton.