{"id":11335,"date":"2019-03-18T17:22:13","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T21:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/?p=11335"},"modified":"2024-05-02T15:18:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T19:18:33","slug":"whats-in-our-fish-and-our-gators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/2019\/03\/whats-in-our-fish-and-our-gators\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s in Our Fish \u2014 and Our Gators?"},"content":{"rendered":"

New research looks at whether PFAS \u2014 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances \u2014 are accumulating in our wildlife.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

BY T.C. GUILLETTE<\/strong>, postdoctoral researcher at the Belcher Laboratory, and<\/em> MADI POLERA<\/strong>, assistant project manager for Cape Fear River Watch. Both collaborate with NC State\u2019s<\/em> SCOTT BELCHER<\/strong>, whose research on PFAS exposure North Carolina Sea Grant and the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science <\/a>have supported through a Community Collaborative Research Grant.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hear Scott Belcher discuss his research on PFAS exposure at the next Science Caf\u00e9, when he presents \u201cWhat Have You Been Drinking?\u201d on Thursday, March 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Daily Planet Caf\u00e9 in downtown Raleigh.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As avid anglers, we were curious about the impact that years of PFAS in the Cape Fear River could have on local wildlife. As scientists and liaisons among stakeholders in the river basin, we also wondered if these chemicals were an unidentified piece of the puzzle in the fishery restoration campaign that now has been underway for over a decade.<\/p>\n

With a Community Collaborative Research Grant<\/a>, our team was able to focus on questions that helped address whether humans are exposed to PFAS when eating fish and also to examine the health-related effects of these man-made chemicals on the local wildlife. This \u201cOne Health\u201d philosophical approach directly connects the health of people to the health of animals and the environment.<\/p>\n

Before we could study the impact\u00a0<\/strong>of PFAS on the local aquatic wildlife, our team first needed to determine the extent of exposure\u00a0<\/strong>to PFAS within this aquatic ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Chronic exposure to two types of PFAS found within the Cape Fear River\u2019s watershed, perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid, have known adverse health effects in mice and are associated with negative health effects in humans. (See the studies below). Adding to the unknown, exposure levels of novel PFAS, including GenX<\/a>, are relatively unexplored in wildlife populations along the Cape Fear River.<\/p>\n

PFAS Exposure in Fish<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For the first part of our study, we focused on striped bass \u2014 a once plentiful, economically important species that has been under a harvest moratorium since 2009, due to the species\u2019 lack of natural reproduction in the Cape Fear River.<\/p>\n

We partnered with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission during their yearly capture surveys to obtain blood samples from striped bass along the Cape Fear River. At a site with low PFAS contamination \u2014 the Pamlico aquaculture facility \u2014 we also caught and sampled striped bass.<\/p>\n

This part of our study shows dramatic differences in exposure between Cape Fear River fish and those at the Pamlico facility:<\/p>\n

Striped bass along the Cape Fear have over 40 times higher blood concentrations of PFAS compared to striped bass at the aquaculture facility;<\/em><\/p>\n

Striped bass along the river have higher blood concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate, a type of PFAS associated with liver and immune dysfunction.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>PFAS Exposure in American Alligators<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The second part of our study examined PFAS in the local American alligator population of coastal North Carolina. As top predators that usually stay within five miles of their territory, alligators serve as a great \u201csentinel species\u201d for human health \u2014 animals that can provide advance warning of environmental hazards.<\/p>\n

Our team sampled alligators at Lake Waccamaw and Greenfield Lake. We hoped that Lake Waccamaw would serve as a reference site; residents had informed the team of a healthy population of alligators at the location.<\/p>\n

Again, we found significant differences in PFAS concentrations:<\/p>\n

Alligators in Greenfield Lake, close to Cape Fear River, have 10 times higher concentrations of <\/em>PFAS in their blood.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly within the moment of time represented by the present century
\n<\/strong><\/em>has one species \u2014 man \u2014 acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world.\u201d
\n<\/strong><\/em>\u2014 Rachel Carson<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead: Impact of PFAS on Wildlife<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our wildlife is exposed to a soup of chemicals. PFAS are accumulating in their bodies, and higher levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate, in particular, are associated with higher levels of blood biomarkers that indicate altered liver and immune function. This implies humans, in turn, face PFAS exposure when they consume this wildlife.<\/p>\n

Our work suggested more areas to study, including questions about the impact of PFAS on wildlife. Madi Polera, a new graduate student involved in the work, will extend these studies by examining the effect that novel PFAS have on striped bass egg quality.<\/p>\n

Work during our Community Collaborative Research Grant also has stimulated a vital component of environmental studies: civic engagement. We encourage Cape Fear River communities and others to interact with our team so that we can prioritize our exploration into PFAS to best serve the science and the broader public. Our full results will soon be published, and we hope that they will help stimulate more questions into PFAS accumulation and the effects on wildlife and people.<\/p>\n

Contact Scott Belcher: smbelch2@ncsu.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

More about Cape Fear River Watch<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Studies on Health Outcomes from PFAS Exposure:<\/p>\n

EPA. 2016d. \u201cHealth Effects Support Document for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS).\u201d EPA 822- R-16-002.<\/p>\n

EPA. 2016e. \u201cHealth Effects Support Document for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA).\u201d EPA 822-R16-003.<\/p>\n

Credits<\/em>:
\nLead photo by Ken Blevins, Star News
\n<\/em>Baby gator,\u00a0courtesy of\u00a0Guillette, Polera, and Belcher<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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