{"id":3297,"date":"2025-02-22T05:59:23","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T05:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3297"},"modified":"2025-03-17T07:30:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T07:30:52","slug":"are-migratory-birds-and-shellfish-warning-us-about-hidden-pfas-contamination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3297","title":{"rendered":"Are Migratory Birds and Shellfish Warning Us About Hidden PFAS Contamination?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Are Migratory Birds and Shellfish Warning Us About Hidden PFAS Contamination?<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New Research Uncovers Rising Levels of &#8216;Forever Chemicals&#8217; in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent study has revealed alarmingly high levels of toxic <strong>per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)<\/strong>\u2014also known as <strong>&#8220;forever chemicals&#8221;<\/strong>\u2014in migratory birds and shellfish along the <strong>East Asian\u2013Australasian Flyway<\/strong>. Researchers found up to <strong>180 times more PFAS than previously detected<\/strong>, raising concerns about their long-term impact on wildlife and ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study, led by <strong>Junjie Zhang<\/strong> from the <strong>Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)<\/strong>, in collaboration with <strong>Professor Veerle Jaspers<\/strong>, used an advanced detection method to uncover previously undetectable PFAS. Their findings, published in <a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2025.137189\"><em>Environmental Science &amp; Technology<\/em><\/a>, indicate that these chemicals are more widespread in nature than previously thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PFAS: A Growing Environmental and Health Concern<\/strong><br>PFAS are synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial applications, firefighting foams, and consumer products such as <strong>Teflon coatings and ski wax<\/strong>. Known for their <strong>persistence in the environment<\/strong>, these chemicals accumulate in living organisms and are linked to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Various forms of <strong>cancer<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Liver damage<\/strong> and <strong>hormonal disorders<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cholesterol imbalances<\/strong> and <strong>fertility issues<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weakened immune function<\/strong> and <strong>developmental disorders in children<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because PFAS do not easily break down, their <strong>continuous accumulation in wildlife and humans<\/strong> poses serious environmental and health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Migratory Birds and Shellfish as Bioindicators<\/strong><br>To assess the spread of PFAS, the researchers examined <strong>25 wading birds<\/strong> and <strong>30 shellfish<\/strong> from coastal regions in China, where migratory birds stop to feed. The results revealed a <strong>substantial increase in PFAS concentrations<\/strong>, particularly in <strong>bird livers<\/strong>, suggesting <strong>long-term exposure and accumulation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Jaspers explained the significance of these findings:<br><em>&#8220;The East Asian\u2013Australasian Flyway is a critical migratory route, but bird populations along this path are declining rapidly. Our study raises concerns that environmental toxins like PFAS could be contributing to this trend.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>New Detection Method Reveals Hidden PFAS Sources<\/strong><br>The study used the <strong>Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) assay<\/strong>, a <strong>new method developed by co-author Lara Cioni<\/strong>, to detect PFAS precursors that were previously undetectable. This technique identifies <strong>substances that transform into harmful perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs)<\/strong> over time, revealing a much <strong>broader scope of PFAS pollution<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zhang emphasized the implications of this discovery:<br><br><em>&#8220;Our findings suggest that many PFAS originate from unknown sources. This means we may be underestimating the true extent of PFAS contamination in the environment.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Urgent Need for Further Research<\/strong><br>The study highlights the pressing need to <strong>identify unknown PFAS sources<\/strong> and <strong>understand their impact on wildlife and human health<\/strong>. Future research will focus on tracing the origins of these chemicals and assessing their effects on <strong>migratory birds, aquatic ecosystems, and human populations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As scientists uncover more about <strong>forever chemicals<\/strong>, it becomes increasingly clear that <strong>stronger regulations and mitigation efforts<\/strong> are necessary to protect the environment and public health from these persistent pollutants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are Migratory Birds and Shellfish Warning Us About Hidden PFAS Contamination? New Research Uncovers Rising Levels of &#8216;Forever Chemicals&#8217; in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway A recent study has revealed alarmingly high levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)\u2014also known as &#8220;forever chemicals&#8221;\u2014in migratory birds and shellfish along the East Asian\u2013Australasian Flyway. Researchers found up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1117],"tags":[1120,1121,1122,1118,1119,64],"class_list":["post-3297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environmental-science","tag-bird-flight","tag-blood-chemical-analysis","tag-blood-samples","tag-migratory-birds","tag-toxins","tag-wild-birds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3298,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3297\/revisions\/3298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}