Image description: A polar bear face-on to the camera. Image by Pixabay.
A group of international scientists have revealed PFAS, nicknamed “forever chemicals,” are building up in animals like polar bears, seals, and birds and at alarming levels in the Arctic. Concerningly, people living in the Arctic are also in danger due to their reliance on traditional foods such as marine mammals whose meat is already contaminated.
The new study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment examines the impact of toxic chemicals called PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and the danger they pose to life in the North Pole. The chemicals are used in many industrial products, such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foam.
The research highlights how PFAS can affect reproduction, immune systems, and even increase cancer risk in both humans and animals. The authors write, “Physiological, endocrine, and reproductive effects linked to PFAS exposure were largely similar among humans, polar bears, and Arctic seabirds. For most polar bear subpopulations across the Arctic, modelled serum concentrations exceeded PFOS levels in human populations, several of which already exceeded the established immunotoxic thresholds for the most severe risk category.”
The study’s lead author, Rainer Lohmann, who is professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, warns: “The similarities in health effects across species – humans, animals, and birds – are deeply concerning and underscore the interconnectedness of environmental and human health.”
The authors call for continued global cooperation and stronger regulations to prevent further contamination.
UK Parliament asked to support PFAS ban
On Tuesday this week, CHEM Trust, UK Youth for Nature and the Marine Conservation Society held an event in UK Parliament on ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS, sponsored by Anna Gelderd, MP for South East Cornwall.
A group of young people from UK Youth for Nature, the UK’s leading youth movement calling for urgent action on the nature crisis, met with MPs to highlight the impacts of PFAS on marine and freshwater wildlife in the UK. They have been detected in the UK’s most iconic wildlife species such as otters, harbour porpoises, freshwater fish and seabirds. Not a single river in England is in good chemical health due to a cocktail of chemicals, including highly persistent chemicals such as PFAS.
CHEM Trust, UK Youth for Nature and Marine Conservation Society are urging the UK Government to commit to matching the EU’s proposed ban on the use and manufacture of all PFAS to address pollution at source.