Hundreds of Animals Worldwide Contaminated With Toxic PFAS in Their Blood System

Hundreds of animal species from insects to whales have blood that is tainted with hazardous PFAS, according to a recent compilation of earlier peer-reviewed studies.

Even though the analysis is not intended to establish how PFAS exposure impacts wildlife, anecdotal evidence from some of the earlier studies suggests the chemicals are probably making animals sick.

Forever chemicals in animals' body

(Photo : Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization that monitors PFAS contamination, put together the analysis.

It created an interactive map that displays which animal species were examined, where they were examined, and the types and concentrations of PFAS detected in their tissues.

Many animals, including scorpions, pandas, Siberian tigers, turtles, horses, dogs, plankton, sea lions, wild boar, otters, and oysters, have been shown to contain the compounds. David Andrews, a senior scientist with the EWG, described the extent of the contamination as "sobering."

There is no reason to think that these same effects are not also happening in wildlife, despite the fact that it has taken 60 years of research on humans to fully grasp how these chemicals impact our biology in so many different ways.

A group of over 12,000 compounds known as PFAS is frequently employed to make thousands of consumer products resistant to heat, water, and stains.

They are known as "forever chemicals" because they do not decompose naturally.

They have been related to major health issues such as cancer, liver disease, kidney stress, pregnancy difficulties, and others.

The substances are found in almost all Americans' blood, according to federal data, but before the EWG analysis, the studies on wildlife were dispersed.

Because they do not degrade and may travel great distances via the atmosphere, the highly mobile compounds build up and cycle through the ecosystem continuously.

About 120 different types of PFAS compounds have been discovered by researchers in the blood of animals, while this number is probably greater because many of the chemicals are difficult to detect due to testing limitations.

Researchers in North Carolina discovered autoimmune diseases resembling lupus in alligators living in water tainted by a neighboring PFAS facility run by chemical producer Chemours last year, but the effects on animal health are yet unknown.

Researchers also discovered signs of immune system problems in sea turtles from the north Pacific.

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What are PFTAs?

The substances in question are known as PFASs, or poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances.

They are frequently used in non-stick cookware, furnishings, takeout containers, fire retardants, and oil and water repellents.

EPA gathered more than 36,000 drinking water samples from 4,864 public water sources between 2013 and 2015 for the study, which was published last 2016 in Environmental Science and Technology Letters.

More than 16 million people are served by water systems that contain PFASs in 33 states, three US territories, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Since they were created by businesses in the middle of the 20th century, PFAS have seen a tremendous expansion in use because they are resistant to heat, oil, and water.

The nonstick properties of PFAS now make them helpful in a variety of items, including food wrappers, umbrellas, tents, carpets, and firefighting foam, as per NPR.

The compounds are also employed in the production of rubber, plastic, and wiring insulation.

Most of the time, U.S. chemical rules do not demand that businesses demonstrate a chemical is secure before beginning to sell it.

The EPA is responsible for determining if and under what conditions a material is unacceptable and harmful, and often, such evaluations don't start until after public health concerns are expressed.

As part of a class action lawsuit against the chemical firm DuPont, a science panel began some of the largest-scale PFAS epidemiological research in the United States in 2005.

In the case, it was claimed that industrial discharges of the PFAS chemical PFOA caused harm to thousands of people in West Virginia and Ohio.