Penguin 'Toxicologists' Find PFAS Chemicals in Remote Patagonia

Summary

Penguins living along the Patagonian coast of Argentina can serve as living monitors of their environment by using small, chemical-detecting leg bands, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the State University of New York at Buffalo.For the proof-of-concept study, published in the journal Earth: Environmental Sustainability, UC Davis scientists outfitted 54 Magellanic penguins with silicone passive samplers placed gently around their legs for a few days during the 2022-24 breeding seasons. The sensors safely absorbed chemicals from the water, air and surfaces the penguins encountered while the unwitting “toxicologists” foraged to feed their chicks. A chemical-sensing, silicone passive sampler is worn as an ankle band on this penguin in Argentina. (Ralph Vanstreels/UC Davis) Once retrieved, the samplers were sent to University at Buffalo-SUNY for testing, which revealed that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — often called “forever chemicals” — were detected in more than 90% of the bands, even in this remote region. “The only way we’ve had of measuring pollutant exposure in the past is by getting blood samples or feathers,” said co-corresponding author Ralph Vanstreels, a wildlife veterinarian with the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center within the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s exciting to have something that is only minimally invasive. The penguins are choosing the sample sites for us and letting us know where it’s important to monitor more deeply. As the animals go about their business, they’re telling us a lot about the environment they’re experiencing.” An adult Magellanic penguin stands with its chick during breeding season in Argentina. (Ralph Vanstreels/UC Davis) Testing revealed a mixture of older legacy pollutants, as well as chemicals that replaced phased-out PFAS.“By using a non‑invasive sampling approach, we were able to detect a shift from legacy PFAS to newer replacement chemicals in the pe...