Hunters in Maine have been warned not to eat wild turkeys in parts of the state, after the birds were found to contain “forever chemicals” that can cause an increased risk of cancer.

Maine officials warned that high levels of Pfas – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – have been detected in wild turkey and deer killed and harvested in areas in the south-west of the state.

The warning could put a dampener on Thanksgiving plans for those who like to hunt and shoot their own dinner centerpiece. But the reality is that wildlife becoming contaminated with Pfas is increasingly a problem in the US.

Earlier this fall Wisconsin and Michigan also issued “do not eat” advisories for deer, fish and birds, while in January health officials in New Mexico warned hunters that harmful chemicals had been found in wildlife at a lake in the south of the state.

Maine’s department of inland fisheries and wildlife issued “do not eat” advisories in four areas north of Augusta, Maine’s capital earlier this month.

“It was found that wildlife sampled within a mile of areas with high soil PFAS concentration levels resulted in animals that had levels of PFAS in their muscle tissue that warranted an advisory,” inland fisheries and wildlife said. “The Department and the Maine CDC [Centers for Disease Control] recommend that no one eats deer or wild turkey harvested in these wildlife consumption advisory areas.”

Pfas are a group of chemicals that have been used in manufacturing and added to consumer products since the 1950s. They can take hundreds or even thousands of years to degrade, meaning if they leak into soil or water they can remain there for centuries. The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems.

“Wildlife is already contaminated with Pfas on a global scale, and that contamination will continue to be an issue until we greatly reduce the use of Pfas in consumer products and industrial applications,” Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at the non-profit Environmental Working Group, said in an interview with the Guardian.

Maine, which said it was sampling other areas in the state for Pfas, is not alone in being forced to confront the problem of forever chemicals. At least 17 states have issued advisories against eating fish containing Pfas, and birds and mammals appear to increasingly be a concern.

The Michigan departments of health and human services and natural resources issued do not eat advisories in Clark’s Marsh, close to the former Wurtsmith air force base, in September. Officials warned that deer were likely to have “various” Pfas substances, and also said people should not eat any fish, aquatic or semi-aquatic wildlife taken from the marsh.

Various advisories have been in place in the area since 2012, with the Pfas contamination linked to the use by the military of foam to extinguish fires. In August New Mexico found alarming levels of Pfas in the blood of people living or working near Cannon air force base – again due to military use of firefighting foam.

Wisconsin issued advisories against eating fish and deer in an area around the town of Stella, in the north of the state. Officials said people should only eat deer muscle once a month, and should avoid eating deer liver altogether.

Stoiber said it would take “decades” to remediate existing Pfas contamination.

“The most effective and important step is to phase out the widespread use of Pfas in commerce and stop ongoing discharges of Pfas into the environment,” she said.

“Federal regulations such as enforceable drinking water standards and stronger protections for source water are essential to reducing Pfas pollution and limiting future exposure.

“Public education is equally critical. People need clear information about how Pfas exposures occur, since informed public pressure is often needed to drive policymakers to take action and end the widespread use of Pfas.”

Maine is joining a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging recently proposed limits on support for long-term housing for people at risk of becoming homeless.

The suit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island by attorneys general and governors from 20 states and Washington, D.C. It accuses the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of illegally upending support services for tens of thousands of Americans with changes that will limit access to long-term housing.

The suit comes in response to plans the department announced this month to cut funding for long-term housing assistance in its Continuum of Care grant program and redirect resources to transitional housing and short-term supports like emergency shelters.

“Winter is coming here in Maine and now the administration is redirecting congressionally appropriated funds that keep over 1,200 Mainers housed,” Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a written statement. “While there is little doubt the courts will agree that the administration has once again overstepped, the chaos and uncertainty these decisions create are harmful and unnecessary.”

The complaint alleges HUD violated its own regulations by not engaging in rulemaking before issuing the changes and violated the law by not receiving congressional authorization for the new conditions, many of which the states say are contrary to congressionally passed statutes and HUD regulations.

The states also argued that HUD’s actions are arbitrary and capricious, and said the agency hasn’t made an effort to explain why they are abandoning their own policies or failing to consider the consequences for people who as a result will be at risk for eviction.

HUD has said previously that the changes restore accountability to homelessness programs.

“Our philosophy for addressing the homelessness crisis will now define success not by dollars spent or housing units filled, but by how many people achieve long-term self-sufficiency and recovery,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a written statement earlier this month.

A media contact for HUD did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday afternoon seeking comment on the suit.

The Maine attorney general’s office said HUD previously has directed about 90% of Continuum of Care funding to support permanent housing, but the agency’s new rules would cut that by two-thirds for grants starting in 2026.

Similarly, HUD has long allowed grantees to protect around 90% of funding year to year — essentially guaranteeing renewal of projects to ensure that individuals and families living in those projects maintain stable housing — but has reduced that number to 30%, the office said.

Continuum of Care programs support more than 1,800 people across Maine, and state officials have said the federal government’s proposed changes jeopardize housing for more than 1,200. Most are served through the Permanent Supportive Housing Program run by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

The program provides rental subsidies to people with disabilities and their families, while also connecting them to services to keep them successfully housed, such as treatment for substance use and mental health disorders.

“As I have previously warned, this callous change by the Trump Administration — as we begin the holiday season — would jeopardize stable housing for 1,200 Maine people and drive up costs for Maine municipalities,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a written statement. “The Trump Administration should withdraw this unnecessary directive.”