Coventry University researcher finds ‘forever chemicals’ that can be harmful to people and wildlife in Amazon rainforest for the first time

 Harmful chemicals that last for so long they're known as 'forever chemicals' have been found in the Amazon rainforest atmosphere for the first time.

Samples of air collected at an observatory in the Brazilian rainforest that stands at the same height as the Eiffel Tower were analysed by Coventry University's Dr Ivan Kourtchev who said it was "shocking" to discover such high levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

PFAS are a family of human-made chemicals that include a wide and diverse array of around 5,000 toxic chemicals which are used to make items such as non-stick frying pans, food packaging including pizza boxes and popcorn bags, coatings on paper, and adhesives.

PFAS have been linked to adverse health effects and once inhaled can stay inside our bodies for years, causing problems including infertility and developmental issues, particularly for pregnant women and their babies.

PFAS have been found in the blood of humans and wildlife in remote areas of the globe and now Dr Kourtchev, from Coventry University's Research Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) and international colleagues hope their recently published research can help discover how PFAS are being transported.

The international research collaboration is between Coventry University and the Federal University of Parana, National Institute of Amazonian Research and Federal Institute of Pará in Brazil, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, the University of Graz in Austria, and the University of Cambridge.

The samples were collected at the 325-metre Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), situated in the middle of rainforest around 150km from Manaus, one of Brazil's largest cities. They were then returned to Coventry University where Dr Kourtchev analysed them using a highly sensitive technique developed at CAWR.

We collected samples right at the top of the tower and also at tree canopy level – about 42 metres. What was shocking to us was that we saw PFAS - we didn't expect to and we also saw more at the top of the tower.

If PFAS were to be locally emitted, they should be found lower down the tower. This means PFAS were long-range transported and have been brought from somewhere. It was very puzzling to us.

Dr Ivan Kourtchev from the Research Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience
Dr Kourtchev said the impact of these chemicals could potentially be severe for the rainforest, its wildlife and also humans.

The Amazon is a place of unique vegetation and wildlife, so these PFAS can have an impact on that. When our body confuses this chemical with our hormones we can become infertile and if you have some unique animals or vegetation affected, that could stop their reproduction.

In sensitive ecosystems with rare or endangered species, such disruptions can have devastating effects on biodiversity and species survival. PFAS could also adversely affect the health of people living in the rainforest."

Dr Kourtchev
PFAS have been found in places such as Antarctica where sea spray is believed to have transported the chemicals to the South Pole. However, as ATTO is situated around 1,000km from the nearest ocean, Dr Kourtchev said that sea-spray transport of PFAS could not be responsible for the samples collected in Brazil.

This meant he had to consider other ways the chemicals could have been transported to the ATTO which was purposefully built in an area which until recently was mostly unaffected by deforestation or other human interference.

Dr Kourtchev said: "One of the other major sources can be firefighting foam used for fires in the rainforest but we were able to rule that out. This meant it must be another source – it could be firms in Manaus but we also can't rule out burning of domestic waste."

https://www.coventry.ac.uk/news/2024/coventry-university-pfas-amazon-rainforest-forever-chemicals/