70% Drop in Levels of Forever Chemicals Observed in Seabird Eggs Tracks Regulatory Success
Researchers found some PFAS levels in northern gannet eggs fell 70% or more after decades of regulatory and industry phaseouts.
- A peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Toxicology study tracked PFAS levels in northern gannet eggs from Bonaventure Island over 55 years, finding PFOS concentrations fell 74% to 26 parts per billion by 2024, while PFOA declined 40% and PFHxS dropped about 72%.
- Regulatory action accelerated the decline after 3M and other manufacturers agreed with the EPA in 2015 to phase out PFOA and PFOS, following the 2009 United Nations Stockholm Convention that targeted these compounds and restricted their production.
- The data reveal a striking pattern: PFAS contamination rose sharply from the 1960s through the late 1990s, with PFOS identified as the main contaminant among 17 types examined before declining after regulatory intervention began.
- Raphael Lavoie, an ecotoxicologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada and study co-author, said "we see this incredible rise to a peak where concentrations seem to be higher than toxicological threshold for those birds, then it really decreases in a nice way," adding the regulations are producing measurable results.
- Despite regulatory success, PFOA's 51-year half-life means contamination will persist for decades, prompting researchers to emphasize the need for sustained scientific and regulatory vigilance as industry shifts to newer PFAS chemicals harder to track in wildlife.
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70% Drop in Levels of Forever Chemicals Observed in Seabird Eggs Tracks Regulatory Success
Content of several “forever chemicals” in seabird eggs were found to have sharply decreased over the last 55 years by a team of scientists. While first rising exponentially from during the 1960s, the chemicals, classed as PFAS, peaked in the 1990s before decreasing in line with regulatory oversight by North American governments. PFAS are a […] The post 70% Drop in Levels of Forever Chemicals Observed in Seabird Eggs Tracks Regulatory Success app…
Seabird eggs see drop in 'forever chemicals' after regulation
There's some rare and genuinely encouraging news in the fight against "forever chemicals" — also known as PFAS. A new study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Toxicology, found a steep drop in certain highly dangerous PFAS in Canadian seabird eggs when use of the chemicals fell, offering strong evidence that regulation can work. Researchers followed PFAS levels in northern gannet eggs from the St. Lawrence Seaway basin over 55 ye…
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