The analysis says that hundreds of animals are contaminated with alarming toxins linked to cancer and other health problems.
Hundreds of animal species around the world, from ticks to whales, have blood contaminated with PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl Resistant to Oil and Water Substances), shows a new analysis of previous peer-reviewed research.
While the analysis is not intended to reveal how exposure to PFAS affects wildlife, anecdotal evidence in some of the earlier studies shows that the chemicals can make animals sick.
The analysis was compiled by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization that tracks PFAS contamination, and developed an interactive map showing which animal species were studied, where they were tested, and the levels and types of PFAS found in their bodies.
PFAS chemicals in various species
The researchers found the chemicals in a variety of species, including scorpions, pandas, Siberian tigers, turtles, horses, dogs, plankton, sea lions, wild boar, otters and oysters. The extent of the contamination is “depressing,” said David Andrews, the EWG’s lead scientist.
“It took six decades of human research to really understand how these chemicals affect our biology in so many different ways… and there’s no reason to believe those same impacts aren’t happening in wildlife too.Andrews said.
PFAS are a class of about 12,000 chemicals often used to make thousands of water, stain and heat resistant consumer products. They are called “permanent chemicals” because they are not broken down naturally and are linked to cancer, liver disease, kidney stress, fetal complications and other serious health problems.
Contaminated human and animal blood
Federal data shows that the blood of nearly all Americans is contaminated with the compounds, but research on wildlife was scattered until EWG analysis summed them up.
Highly mobile chemicals accumulate and continuously circulate through the environment because they do not decompose and can be transported over long distances through the atmosphere. This means that even animals in remote parts of the world that are far from industrial sources, such as penguins in Antarctica or polar bears in the Arctic, can be contaminated with high levels of PFAS.
The researchers found about 120 types of PFAS compounds in the animals’ blood, although that number is likely higher because limits in testing capabilities make it difficult to identify many of the chemicals.
The impact on the animals’ health is still unclear, but last year researchers in North Carolina found lupus-like autoimmune disorders in alligators living in water contaminated by a nearby PFAS plant owned by chemical maker Chemours. The researchers also found evidence of immune system problems in North Pacific sea turtles.
“All this research has been done, but the next step still needs to be taken; this should be a call for much greater restriction,” Andrews said. “It is a clear indication that this contamination should no longer be released into the environment.”
