‘Newer PFAS, despite being designed as safer alternatives, are still persistent enough to spread globally and pose exposure risks to wildlife’.
Scientists have discovered a new way to monitor ‘forever chemicals’ in wildlife, warning that one of the world’s smallest penguins hasn’t managed to escape them.
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A new study from the University of California, Davis and the State University of New York at Buffalo found that 90 per cent of Magellanic penguins living along the Patagonian coast of Argentina are carrying signals of PFAS.
Published in the journal Earth: Environmental Sustainability, researchers say they’re now worried that newer forever chemicals, which are often touted as being safer, are still “persistent enough” to spread globally and pose a risk to wildlife.
What are forever chemicals?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of more than 10,000 synthetic chemicals that have become ubiquitous on Earth. Scientists have discovered PFAS on the peak of Mount Everest, inside human blood, and even in deep-diving species off the coast of New Zealand.
These chemicals can take more than 1,000 years to degrade naturally, hence their nickname of ‘forever chemicals’.
PFAS are primarily used to make everyday items water- and grease-resistant, such as non-stick cookware, food packaging, and clothing.
However, scientists have slowly gathered evidence that suggests chronic exposure to PFAS is linked to a slew of serious health issues, including the promotion of certain cancers, reduced fertility and problems with the immune system. In animals, the effects of PFAS are still relatively unknown.
PFAS in penguins
Previously, researchers have only been able to track pollutant exposure by getting blood samples or plucking feathers. However, UC Davis scientists have found a less invasive method: by turning penguins into mini “toxicologists”.
The team fitted 54 Magellanic penguins with silicone leg straps (passive samplers) for a couple of days during the 2022-2024 breeding seasons. These sensors safely absorb chemicals from the water, air and surface the penguins encountered.
Once retrieved, the samplers were sent to the University at Buffalo for testing. Here, researchers found that PFAS were detected in more than 90 per cent of the bands, despite the penguin’s remote location.
Testing revealed a combination of older legacy pollutants along with chemicals that have replaced phased-out PFAS.
“The presence of GenX and other replacement PFAS – chemicals typically associated with nearby industrial sources – shows that these compounds are not staying local but are reaching even the most remote ecosystems,” says senior author Diana Aga.
“This raises important concerns that newer PFAS, despite being designed as safer alternatives, are still persistent enough to spread globally and pose exposure risks to wildlife.”
The scientists want to increase their "environmental detectives” by placing the samplers on different species. They plan to test cormorants, which can dive to depths of more than 76 metres for PFAS next.
“By turning penguins into sentinels of their environment, we have a powerful way to communicate issues relevant for wildlife health – and more broadly, for the conservation of marine species and our oceans,” says co-author Marcela Uhart.
