Wildlife officials warn against eating deer, turkey harvested in parts of Maine

The new advisory areas are a result of extensive wildlife sampling in the eastern Kennebec and western Waldo counties (Courtesy photo)

AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in conjunction with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), is issuing a Do Not Eat Wildlife Consuption Advisory for two different areas in portions of Unity, Unity Township, Albion and Freedom. These advisory areas are in addition to the current advisory area in Fairfield and parts of Skowhegan.

The two new consumption advisory areas were based upon the testing of 54 deer and 55 turkeys in eastern Kennebec and western Waldo counties for the presence of PFAS. One advisory area is 5.5 square miles in area, and the other advisory area is 4.3 square miles.

The Department sampled wildlife throughout the Unity/Thorndike/Albion area, and research showed that wildlife sampled within a mile of areas with high PFAS soil concentration levels resulted in animals that had levels of PFAS in their muscle tissue that warranted an advisory. The Department and the Maine CDC recommend that no one eats deer or wild turkey harvested in these wildlife consumption advisory areas.

MDIFW issued the first wildlife consumption advisory in 2021. The new advisory areas are a result of extensive wildlife sampling in the eastern Kennebec and western Waldo counties in order to examine the impact of PFAS on wildlife in the area. These areas that have been contaminated by high levels of PFAS through the spreading of municipal and/or industrial sludge that contained PFAS. Deer and turkey feeding in these contaminated areas have ingested these chemicals and now have PFAS in their meat and organs.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used for decades in a variety of household and consumer products, including non-stick cookware, carpet, waterproof clothing, and food packaging products such as pizza boxes and microwave popcorn bags.

Known as "forever chemicals" since they are very slow to break down, PFAS persist in the environment and are found in soil, water, plants, and animals. Over time, exposure to these chemicals have been known to increase the risk of some types of cancer, decrease infant and fetal growth, increase cholesterol levels, and impair the immune system.

The Department plans to continue to work with the Maine CDC, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry concerning PFAS and testing. The Department will continue to test deer, and other wildlife in the area and beyond, to try and determine the extent of PFAS in Maine's wildlife.

New Hampshire, Michigan and Wisconsin are states that have also issued consumption advisories concerning PFAS and deer. New Hampshire and Wisconsin's advisories are for non-consumption of the liver, and does not include meat.