Editorial: Beautiful Belleville Lake? Just don’t eat the fish

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has released the newest Eat Safe Fish Guide, the pamphlet that is supposed to be given to people who buy their fishing licenses.
The “Do Not Eat” advisory for fish has been upgraded to warn everyone not to eat any fish at all out of Belleville Lake or from Ford Lake, upstream in Washtenaw County.
The booklet says filets of fish from the lakes and rivers in the state have been tested for chemicals. The chemicals of concern locally are PFOS.
It lists fish not to eat from Belleville Lake as bluegill, carp, catfish, gizzard shad, largemouth and smallmouth bass, suckers, sunfish, walleye, and all other species.
It warns that PFOS (perflourooctane sulfonate), a newer chemical, may continue to be found in the environment for a long time even though it is now rarely used in the U.S. It was used for waterproofing clothes, fire-fighting foams, papers and packaging, cleaning products, and pesticides.
Potential PFO health problems include harming of thyroid function and brain development in fetuses and children. It warns eating even one fish isn’t safe.
All this is to say, we can continue to enjoy the beauty and fun of Belleville Lake, but must NOT EAT ANYTHING that comes out of it. So sad.