Highly fluorinated substances in otters

Summary

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are fluorinated, man-made chemicals with wide industrial and commercial applications. Being both oil and water repellent, they are or have been used in a large number of different applications for over six decades. Examples include diverse firefighting foams used at airports, military installations, fire-fighting training sites, manufacturing sites, and otherwise to control fires. PFASs also have wide application in grease-repellent food wrappers, textile stain and soil repellents, cleaning aids, processing aids in fluoropolymer manufacturing, ski wax, nonstick cook-ware etc

Many PFAS are extremely persistent, which means that they do not break down in nature but remain in the environment for a long time. Several drinking water sources in Sweden, such as Kallinge in Blekinge, Botkyrka (Huddinge) and Knivsta (Uppsala), have elevated levels of mainly perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulphonic acid (PFHxS).

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs), have been analyzed in livers from over 350 otters from large parts of the country. The range in concentrations is large, some otters have low levels and others have extremely high levels. The substance found in highest concentrations is PFOS. A time series of levels of PFASs in otters from southern Sweden (1970-2011) showed a very sharp increase in all PFASs. Therefore, we are now expanding the time study to include otters up to 2021 from different parts of the country. Here, the otters help us identifying contaminated areas.

Fundings

County boards in Sweden

Project participants at the museum

Anna Roos

External participants

ACES - Stockholms universitet