Alligators exposed to “forever chemicals” may be experiencing adverse clinical and autoimmune effects, a new study found.
A study of alligators in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River found the animals had elevated levels of 14 different forever chemicals, as well as clinical and genetic indicators of immune system effects.
The animals had many unhealed or infected lesions as well.
The new study, published in Frontiers in Toxicology, took blood samples and did health evaluations on alligators living along the river between 2018 and 2019. These results were compared to alligators in a different area, from Lake Waccamaw, also in North Carolina.
“Alligators rarely suffer from infections,” Scott Belcher, an associate professor of biology at North Carolina State University, said.
Alligators typically get wounds, but they normally heal quickly, Belcher said. Therefore, the most unusual observation the team made was that alligators in the Cape Fear River had a number of unhealed or infected lesions.
The alligators in Cape Fear River had elevated levels of 14 different types of so-called forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in their blood serum.
There are thousands of types of forever chemicals, which are artificial compounds that can persist for decades in the environment and are linked to many illnesses, such as thyroid disease, testicular cancer, and kidney cancer.
PFAS are notorious for their presence in jet fuel, firefighting foam, and industrial discharge. It is also a key ingredient in many household items, like non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, and cosmetics.
The Cape Fear River basin has long been contaminated by PFAS, as multiple industries have discharged the substances into the waterway for years. The basin extends for more than 9,300 square miles and services about 5.2 million residents.
The work adds to the body of evidence connecting PFAS exposure with adverse immune system effects.
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