Fish are Good, Dioxin is Bad: Learn How to Stay Safe While Fishing the Woonasquatucket River

Wednesday, August 20, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

North Providence, RI — If you or your family fish the Woonasquatucket River, it is important to know which parts of the river are safe and which are not.

Join the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the North Providence Town Hall Council Chambers, 2000 Smith Street, North Providence, RI for an important community discussion about dioxins found in fish downstream of the Centredale Manor Superfund Site near the Johnston and Smithfield border.

From the 1940s through the 1970s, chemical manufacturing and drum cleaning operations polluted the land and river near Centredale Manor. The contamination included harmful substances like dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and furans, which have been found in fish in the nearby Woonasquatucket River. RIDOH conducted a  health study  of fish samples collected in 2019 and found that regularly eating fish from the Woonasquatucket River downstream of the Johnston/Smithfield border (near Gladstone Street) may increase the risk of cancer and other serious health effects.

RIDOH strongly recommends that people do not eat fish, turtles, eels, or plants from the river downstream of the Johnston and Smithfield border. Swimming and wading in this section of the river should also be avoided. Fish caught upstream of Centredale Manor are considered safer to eat when following the state’s mercury guidelines.

At the community discussion, RIDOH staff will explain the findings and share health recommendations. WRWC will facilitate a session to answer questions from the public. This event is especially important for those who rely on the river for food and recreation and want to make informed choices to protect their health.

For more information about RIDOH’s Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program, visit health.ri.gov/ehrap. Questions about the meeting? Contact Melissa Orpen-Tuz, RIDOH Program Manager, at melissa.orpentuz@health.ri.gov or 401-578-6978.