Lifelong San José resident Apollo-Genesis Braddock-Layton has fished the Pacific Coast’s shore for as long as he can remember—catching horseshoe crabs, smelt, and stingrays while listening to his grandfather’s stories of fishing in the Philippines. “That’s how he had to feed his family,” Braddock-Layton says. “If they didn’t catch fish that day, they didn’t eat.” … But it’s likely that these fish contain PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which have been manufactured by chemical companies since the 1940s. … PFAS ranks among the most concerning chemicals the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) studies, says environmental scientist Miguel Mendez, and they’ve slipped their way into the Bay through runoff. … But this news won’t stop some Bay Area residents like Braddock-Layton from fishing. While learning about PFAS in fish “makes me not want to fish in the Bay anymore,” he says, “I would most definitely go back.”

Other PFAS news:

• Politico: Trump admin signals it will back Superfund PFAS cleanups​
• AZ Luminaria (Tucson): From TCE to PFAS contamination, Tucson residents still wary of their water