The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108-4619

SUBJECT: New Fish Consumption Advisory 

The purpose of this letter is to inform your office [Foxborough's Health Department) of a new fish consumption advisory (FCA) for Lake Mirimichi in Foxboro and Plainville. The Environmental Toxicology Program (ETP) within the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health (DPH/BCEH), routinely works with municipal health officials to understand the presence and nature of health hazards in the community. Consistent with this role, DPH is issuing a FCA for Lake Mirimichi based on elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) measured in fish that were sampled in 2022 by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and summarized in a MassDEP report issued in December 2023.

PFAS were measured in fish sampled from Lake Mirimichi at a level that exceeds the DPH action level of 0.22 parts per billion (ppb). This indicates that the daily consumption of fish from the waterbody may pose a potential health concern. DPH considers new sampling data and previous FCAs when issuing new fish advisories. The new advice is the most conservative FCA considering both previous and new advice based on measurements in fish from each waterbody. DPH is recommending that sensitive* populations should not eat any fish from Lake Mirimichi. The general population should limit consumption of all fish to 1 meal/year.

Enclosed [linked here], please find a representative poster identifying the contaminants present and the FCA for Lake Mirimichi. A brochure that describes PFAS in recreationally caught fish is also enclosed [linked here] with a link to access all FCAs that have been issued at freshwater locations in Massachusetts.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this letter, please feel free to contact me at (617) 624-5757. [Foxborough resident's can also contact the town's  Health Department at 508-543-1207].

*Sensitive Populations - Children under 12; and people who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant

Sincerely,
Meg Blanchet, M.S., REHS
Director, Environmental Toxicology Program
Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health

Visit the PFAS information page here for more information