MELBOURNE, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Researchers reveal for the first time that Australian marsupials are contaminated with synthetic "forever chemicals," linked to significant health impacts in other animals and humans.
The study found 45 types of synthetic "forever chemicals," known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in the livers of common ringtail and brushtail possums from Australia's greater Melbourne region, with median levels among the highest recorded globally for small terrestrial mammals, according to a statement released Friday by the University of Melbourne.
"PFAS have been studied widely in aquatic animals, but we know very little about the health impacts of PFAS in terrestrial wildlife, and this is the first study to investigate PFAS levels in Australian marsupials," said University of Melbourne PhD candidate Ellis Mackay, the lead researcher of the study published in Science of the Total Environment.
"All the possums we examined had been exposed to PFAS," Mackay said, adding they are "sentinels warning us that broad PFAS contamination of Australian ecosystems and native species is highly probable."
PFAS, used in products such as firefighting foams, non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and cosmetics, persist in the environment for decades, and were also found in the blood of more than 98 percent of Australians tested, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' most recent National Health Measures Survey.
Certain PFAS have been linked to serious health effects, including cancer, developmental harm, and immune system disruption, said University of Melbourne Associate Professor Brad Clarke, the study's co-author.
"Globally, we are producing and using hundreds of thousands of synthetic chemicals including PFAS, with limited understanding of their long-term impacts," Clarke said.
Researchers plan to further investigate landscape effects on contamination and health impacts in wildlife, calling for tighter control over PFAS production and usage. ■
