New study shows that ocean spray, which is made when water from the ocean hits the shore, releases more PFAS than pollutants from factories. Concerns have been raised about the amount of PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) that people and the environment are exposed to.
The study found that these chemicals are released when the bubbles pop and hit the shore. Aerosols that could be dangerous are put into the air by this. “Forever chemicals” are what these PFAS chemicals are called because their parts don’t break down.
Ian Cousins, who led the study, said that it showed that these chemicals might be affecting other things near the coast, such as ground and surface water, plants, and agricultural goods. Cousins said, “There is evidence that the ocean can be a major source of PFAS emissions into the air.” It is definitely having an effect on the coast.”
People have found these chemicals all over the world, even in penguin eggs and polar bears in Antarctica. They live in water or other places where they can be spread into the air. From there, they can fly for miles across land.
A lot of information is missing from the study about how these chemicals might affect us or how much of them people breathe in every day.
According to Cousin, “we thought PFAS would go into the ocean and disappear, but they cycle around and come back to land. This could go on for a long time in the future.”
He said that they would keep looking into the effects of these PFAS. He also said that they had found a link between higher levels of PFAS and being close to the coast.
