There’s not only something in our water — but it’s in our fish, too, according to recent data reported by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

The state agency from July 2022 to June 2023 collected tissue samples from blue crabs, oysters and freshwater fish in water bodies across South Carolina to test for PFAS, an acronym for “per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance.” As reported by the Charleston City Paper in September, these chemicals are made to resist “grease, oil, water and heat.” And these properties also render PFAS nearly indestructible, hence their colloquial name, “forever chemicals.”