“According to Ian Cousins, a professor at the Department of Environmental Science and co-author of the study, the general belief is that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) flow from the land into the oceans, where they are expected to be diluted over time,” said Ian Cousins. “However, our research has shown that some of the toxic PFAS are re-emitted into the air, transported long distances, and then deposited back onto the land.”
Field experiments conducted across the Atlantic Ocean by co-authors Bo Sha and Jana Johansson revealed that PFAS concentrations in air particles exceeded seawater concentrations by over 100,000 times. Subsequent global modeling estimated the re-emission, atmospheric transport, and deposition of PFAS to land.
“Jana (Johansson) and I worked intensively for two months on a ship conducting multiple field experiments with our custom-built sea spray simulator,” explained Bo Sha, the main author of the study. “While our results are scientifically impactful, they are disconcerting, creating a lot of interest among scientists, regulators, and the public.”
PFAS is having a significant impact on the health of coastal regions.
2024-04-06 03:00:02
Original from phys.org