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DHHS presents Great Lakes PFAS fish‑advisory approach; board raises peer‑review and method concerns
Summary
DHHS presented the Great Lakes Consortium's PFAS fish‑consumption guidance—which would apply risk‑management choices (1 ng/kg‑day and a 0.25 bioavailability factor) that produce roughly 40× higher recommended meal limits than EPA methods—and board members pressed for peer review, transparent calculations, and consideration of sensitive populations.
Virginia Guidry, branch head for occupational and environmental epidemiology at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, gave an overview of proposed Great Lakes Consortium best practices for PFAS fish advisories and asked the board for feedback.
"We are considering adopting these guidelines here in North Carolina for PFAS, fish consumption advisories," Guidry said, noting the consortium recommends a health‑protection value of about 1 nanogram per kilogram per day and applies a 0.25 bioavailability factor for fish tissue. Guidry emphasized the approach attempts to balance PFAS risks against the nutritional benefits of fish consumption.
Board members voiced a mix of scientific and procedural concerns. Several members, including Jamie, urged caution on accepting the consortium document without external peer review. "The consortium document is very critical of the US EPA approach... this consortium document is not as rigorous as the US EPA recommendations," Jamie said, arguing the EPA reference doses underwent extensive internal and external review. Other members asked for the consortium's supporting calculations and for DEQ and DHHS to examine whether multiple epidemiological endpoints were handled consistently before adoption.
DHHS said it is circulating the guidance for broader review, has solicited partner feedback (Duke, UNC, NC State and others), and is open to peer review or recalculation before formal adoption. The board asked members to submit comments to DHHS by Aug. 19; DHHS and DEQ will report back on potential peer‑review options and staff capacity for applying the method to North Carolina waters.
