Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ used in non-stick pots and food packaging have been found in otters across England and Wales, according to a study.
Substances known as PFAS are also used in waterproof clothing, stain-resistant products and flame retardants.
The chemicals are linked to pregnancy complications, liver disease, cancer, and other diseases.
Scientists say levels of these compounds in otters are a guide to the level of pollution.
The substances can leach from products, enter drains and sewage treatment plants – from which they can then escape and further contaminate the environment.
PFAS substances are found in agricultural sludge that can be washed from fields into rivers. Factories and landfills are another source of the chemicals.
Denmark recently banned their use in food packaging paper.
Classified as perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyls, PFAS chemicals have been used since the late 1940’s to help make products water, grease and stain repellent.
They are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily in the environment. They contaminate fish, which can then be ingested by animals and humans. PFAS compounds can also get directly into drinking water.
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Researchers tested 50 otters found dead between 2007 and 2009 and found PFAS in all of them. 80% of the animals had at least 12 different types of chemicals in their livers. Despite subsequent voluntary industry restrictions, a similar range of PFAS was found in a more recent sample of otters that died between 2014 and 2019.
Emily O’Rourke, a Cardiff University PhD student and the study’s lead author, told BBC News that otters are a “sentry” species, revealing the “widespread pollution” of British freshwaters. The research supports a recent report by the Environmental Review Board that showed there is a “chemical cocktail” of pollutants in rivers.
It’s unclear if the levels of chemicals found in the otters are high enough to cause harm. The otters died primarily in road accidents, so the exact effect the chemicals had on their health is unknown. Ms O’Rourke said it was likely the toxic chemicals would have a “sublethal” effect.
According to Ms O’Rourke, PFAS “will be in the environment for years”.
“When we wash clothes or just flush things down the drain, they end up in our treatment plants, which aren’t designed to remove PFAS because they’re ancient. They are also retained in the sewage sludge,” she said.
Ms O’Rourke said over 5,000 different types of chemicals are currently in use. So far they have been regulated individually, but she believes that they should be regulated by class.
“Denmark recently banned their use in food contact papers – such as in fast food packaging – and the UK needs to catch up. explained Rourke.
Some 27 NGOs including Breast Cancer UK, The Alliance for Cancer Prevention and the CHEM Trust have come together to advocate for a UK chemicals strategy that would see the phasing out of all very persistent chemicals, including the entire PFAS family and other halogenated chemicals , should contain chemicals”.
Since 2000, a number of voluntary industry initiatives have restricted their use. However, according to the study, concentrations of PFAS in excess of the environmental quality standards for water and fish in England are regularly measured.
In July 2021, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden officially informed the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) of their intention to restrict PFAS.
dr Elizabeth Chadwick, principal investigator for a long-term surveillance program called the Otter Project, encouraged the public to continue reporting otters found dead.
“Our research was made possible by the ongoing collection of found dead otters across the UK. Our archive contains samples from more than 4,000 individuals collected since 1992; it is a unique and important resource for understanding this protected species and for understanding pollution and health. ” She said.
The results were published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
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