Study Releases Map Showing the Global Extent of Threat Posed by 'Forever Chemicals' To Wildlife

The study, released by the Environmental Working Group, an American non-profit environmental group, on Wednesday reveals the global extent of the PFAS pollution problem with a first-of-its-kind map using rigorous data to show the sheer scale of the threat PFAS pose to wildlife, Xinhua news agency reported.

Pollution from the "forever chemicals" contaminates polar bears, tigers, monkeys, pandas, dolphins and fish and has been documented in more than 330 other species of wildlife worldwide, some endangered or threatened, the study added.

Researchers pointed out that hundreds of studies have found PFAS chemicals in many other wildlife species globally, including many types of fish, birds, reptiles, frogs and other amphibians, large mammals, like horses, and small mammals, such as cats, otters and squirrels.

"From country to country and across continents, PFAS pollution is everywhere. No matter the location, no matter the species, nearly every time that testing is done, we find contamination from these toxic chemicals," said researchers in the study.

There may be more than 40,000 industrial polluters that may discharge PFAS in the US — tens of thousands of manufacturing facilities, municipal landfills and wastewater treatment plants, airports, and sites where PFAS-containing firefighting foam has been used are potential sources of PFAS discharges into surface water, according to the study.

Researchers noted that national and international regulatory action is urgently needed to protect wildlife from PFAS contamination.

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The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.