People can be exposed to pollutants when they drink untreated water or eat fish, shellfish or wildlife that has been contaminated by pollutants in surface water.

Fish accumulate contaminants in the water and these contaminants are magnified when the fish are then eaten by larger predator fish. Fish consumption has been shown to be a major pathway of human exposure to persistent toxic substances, such as PCBs and mercury because of this biomagnification process. It may take months or years of regularly eating contaminated fish to build up amounts that are a health concern. To protect yourself, get familiar with Michigan’s advisories. The complete list can be found at the Michigan Department of Community Health’s website (www.michigan.gov/mdch).

Find out more from our Fact Sheet about Public Health and Wastewater.