Scientists equate Magellanic penguins with silicone passive sampler bracelets (SPS), a non-invasive tool that absorbs chemicals from water, air e of the surfaces.
“We have been looking for alternatives for measuring pollution in these species for a long time,” says Ralph Vanstreels, a wildlife veterinarian at the University of California, Davis, and co-author of a study published in March which revista Earth: Environmental Sustainability.
Inspired by monitoring bracelets that humans can wear to measure exposure to contaminants, he contacted Diana Aga, an analytical chemist at the University at Buffalo, with a “crazy idea”: “We put other devices on penguins, so why not silicone bracelets?”
Over three breeding seasons, the interdisciplinary team collected samples from 55 penguins. More than 90% of the rings contained polyfluoroalkylated substances ( PFAS ) — a group of synthetic chemicals used in a huge variety of everyday products, from and raincoats until fire fighting foam and pharmaceuticals.
PFAS are resistant to water, fat, chemicals and heat, but this durability makes them difficult to degrade. They accumulate in the environment and in our bodies, and decades of research have linked them to health risks, including reproductive problems and development, in addition of cancer .
“The concentration (of PFAS) is not high, but we find it consistently,” Vanstreels says. “This shows that, even in this very remote and sparsely inhabited region, these animals are being exposed on a constant basis.”
