A recent study has observed that levels of “legacy” PFAS (specific PFAS that have been mainly banned and their use phased out) have decreased in pilot whales. Levels of only one newer PFAS were consistently increasing in the whales. This highlights the importance and effectiveness of regulation to address hazardous chemicals. But the authors of the paper question where newer PFAS are ending up, and whether they’re accumulating in coastal environments, closer to where people live.  

Scientists tested North Atlantic archived tissue samples from long-finned pilot whales collected by the Faroese Environment Agency and the Faroe Marine Research Institute between 2001 and 2023. They found that levels of PFAS concentrations had decreased by more than 60% since 2011. Most of the PFAS found were from four “legacy” PFAS, including PFOS, and the levels of these PFAS were all falling by 2023. Only one newer PFAS showed consistently increasing levels.

PFAS are a group of around 10,000 chemicals often referred to as forever chemicals as they are highly persistent and take generations to break down in the environment. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked with adverse health impacts, including certain cancers, reduced fertility, and the disruption of the immune system. Currently, three PFAS sub-groups have been banned globally. One example is PFOS, which was restricted in 2009 and classified by the World Health Organisation as possibly cancer-causing. However, industry continue to manufacture PFAS, substituting banned substances with other PFAS that are not yet subject to bans.

These results are encouraging as they show that regulation on PFAS is helping to reduce levels in the environment. Bridger Ruyle, co-author of the study, told Eos, “We’re still finding [older] compounds, but clearly, they are no longer as abundant in the environment as they used to be, which is a positive”.

But the authors raise the question of where newer PFAS are ending up. They suggest that studies showing PFAS in people could mean that newer PFAS may be “accumulating in terrestrial and nearshore environments rather than the open ocean”.

Currently, the industry can replace banned PFAS with other PFAS that are also extremely persistent. CHEM Trust supports the proposed EU-wide universal PFAS restriction, which will apply to all PFAS, and will control pollution at source once it is introduced.

Read more about the universal PFAS restriction here.

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