Recently, researchers from the University of British Columbia were able to determine for the first time that PFAS was present in sea otters in the area, and there are several studies on PFAS in aquatic animals. In the UK, the “forever chemical” has been found in killer whales, porpoises, otters, fish and birds.
In Sweden, researchers from SLU have examined PFAS levels in forest voles on Frösön in Jämtland, an area where the Swedish Armed Forces have conducted fire training. The results surprised them, says Frauke Ecke, senior lecturer at SLU and professor at the University of Helsinki.
We didn't expect these high concentrations. We assumed we would have quite a lot of variation, but it wasn't, it was extremely high levels.
Severe liver damage
The voles also had liver damage suspected to have been caused by PFAS.
Some of the liver damage was quite serious. The veterinarians involved in the study cannot explain it in any other way than that it was caused by PFAS.
Previous studies have shown that animals higher up the food chain often have higher levels of PFAS. There are concerns that killer whale populations, for example, will be decimated by the toxins accumulating through the food chain.
The wood vole is a common prey animal and staple food for, among others, the barn owl. It was once the most common owl in Sweden, but is now in decline. The researchers from SLU also found high levels of PFAS in barn owls.
"That's consistent with what we know about how it is enriched along the food chain," says Frauke Ecke.
Scientists still don't know how barn owls are affected by PFAS.
We only know that there are high concentrations. But things are going very badly for the barn owl, and one is wondering if environmental toxins may be contributing to the decline.
More receptive
An unusually high proportion of the voles were infected with the vole fever virus and the researchers suspect that the liver damage made them more susceptible to infection.
This is in accordance with a hypothesis that environmental toxins make us, including humans, more susceptible to infectious diseases.
The Swedish study is one of relatively few conducted on terrestrial animals. More research is needed in the area, Frauke Ecke believes, not least because of how it affects us humans.
A first step could be for us to look at how it affects living animals to move on to what it does to humans.
We don't eat voles, but we do eat other game and we have found PFAS in moose and deer. It has been below the warning concentrations from the Swedish National Food Agency, but quite close to the limit.
Boel Holm/TT
Facts: PFAS
TT
PFAS stands for poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances and can also be called highly fluorinated substances.
PFAS are man-made chemicals that break down extremely slowly and therefore accumulate in nature and in our bodies.
Repeated exposure to PFAS over a long period of time can affect health in the long term. Fetuses, infants and children are believed to be particularly sensitive. Studies have shown that PFAS substances can affect the immune system, birth weight, blood cholesterol levels, be reproductively disruptive and increase the risk of certain cancers.
PFAS has been manufactured since the 1950s and is used as a dirt and grease repellent. It is found in everything from makeup, waterproofing, popcorn bags, fire-fighting foam and solar cells.
PFAS are not naturally occurring in nature, but are now found everywhere. Among other things, millions of Europeans may be exposed to high levels in their drinking water.
