Two recent studies show the pervasiveness of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. One study found high levels of PFAS in sea foam at several beaches along North Carolina's coast.
“Sea foam along North Carolina’s coast can concentrate PFAS to levels thousands of times higher than the surrounding seawater,” said N.C. State researcher Jeffrey Enders. “Monitoring these coastal environments is critical because contact with contaminated foam could pose unexpected risks to people and ecosystems.”
Another, separate study found high levels of PFAS in the blood of some Wilmington residents. Approximately 119 blood samples were taken from people who lived in and around Wilmington between 2010 and 2016.
"We're now able to have a more complete picture of the total PFAS exposure for people in Wilmington before 2017. That's pretty important," said Jane Hoppin, the principal investigator of the GenX Exposure Study.
There are thousands of different kinds of PFAS. These chemicals have been linked to several negative health impacts, including increased risk of some cancers and decreased fertility in women.
People can be exposed to PFAS in a variety of ways. In North Carolina, the Cape Fear River contains PFAS because of pollution from Chemours, a chemical facility located in Fayetteville. The Cape Fear River provides drinking water for over a million people in North Carolina.
Ultrashort chain PFAS in blood
This study specifically found high levels of ultrashort chain PFAS in the blood samples. Ultrashort chain PFAS are a type of PFAS with a specific chemical composition of very short carbon chains.
Two ultrashort-chain PFAS – perfluoromethoxyacetic acid (PFMOAA) and trifluoracetic acid (TFA) – were detected at high levels in almost every sample.
According to the study's press release, "PFMOAA and TFA have not been well-studied in people for two reasons: they were not thought to bioaccumulate due to their chemical structure, and until recently there were no analytical methods that allowed scientists to reliably detect them in blood."
Hoppin, a co-corresponding author of the paper describing the work, explains that because PFMOAA and TFA are such small chemicals, it was broadly believed that they would be in and out of the human body.
"But what we showed is that if there's a lot of TFA or PFMOAA in your drinking water, you're going to have these in your blood as well," said Hoppin.
Hoppin suggested future areas of research include looking for TFA and PFMOAA in more recent blood samples from residents around Wilmington.
Previous studies have also found high levels of PFAS in the blood of residents in Chatham County.
PFAS in sea foam
Researchers collected water and sea foam samples at 13 different locations along the Cape Fear River and the nearby Atlantic coastline. The samples were screened for 49 common PFAS, and 35 were detected.
Several foam samples had individual PFAS present at more than 1 million parts-per-trillion (ppt), including perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, which was present at 8 million ppt. For context, EPA regulations state that PFOS can only be in drinking water up to 4 ppt.
Researchers also identified new PFAS in the samples, which they say likely came from nearby manufacturing facilities.
Additionally, most PFAS were more concentrated in foam than in the water. Enders, a leading author on this study, explains that PFAS are repelled by water, or hydrophobic.
"PFAS... tend to be unhappy in the water. They will tend to migrate to the surface," said Enders.
Enders warned that people should be careful around sea foam.
"The main point that we've been able to drive home and tell residents is the sea foam on the beaches could be highly contaminated with PFAS," said Enders. "Keep track of your kids. Make sure they're not playing in it or eating it, and don't let your dogs lick it."
