A group of researchers led by Dr William Hartz at the University of Oxford has studied ice samples from Svalbard. The result of the study is disturbing, writes The Guardian. The researchers looked for 45 different chemicals and found 26 of them in the samples taken on the Lomonosovfonna glaciers. In the case of two of the most dangerous substances, PFOS and PFOA, the researchers found levels that are higher than what is considered safe in the drinking water in the United States. The researchers have also looked at how the chemicals have arrived in the region. Samples show that it is primarily chemicals from Asia and Europe that have been transported there as snow and rain. In addition to the problems that the researchers point to, news was able to report on Friday that Svalbard Airport is heavily contaminated by PFAS. Dissolves extremely slowly The ice samples were taken at Lomonosov Fonna in Svalbard. Photo: Norwegian Polar Institute PFAS are often called fluorine substances or “forever chemicals,” as they dissolve extremely slowly. They were first used in packaging, shampoo and make-up, but now the substances are found throughout our environment. In recent years, there has been increasing attention to PFAS chemicals, which are found in everything from all-weather jackets to food packaging and frying pans. Scientists believe that we already have more of the chemicals than we benefit from. Among humans, PFAS chemicals are linked to diseases such as cancer, liver disease, kidney failure, maternity problems and other serious health problems. In some places in the US, like here in Oscoda, Michigan, PFAS levels are so high that hunters are warned not to eat the game they shoot. Photo: Drew YoungeDyke / AP Problems for wildlife Dr Hartz says that the high concentrations of PFAS can cause problems for animal and bird life. The Arctic is already the region most exposed to global warming as a result of climate change. According to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, there is nowhere in the world where warming is happening faster than on Svalbard. In the last 20 years alone, the temperature in the north-east of Svalbard has increased by up to 5.4 degrees. For animals in the Arctic, such as polar bears and reindeer, the effects of PFAS in the body are in addition to climate change. According to Hartz, this means that the animals are threatened from two sides. – As a polar bear, you are exposed to toxic chemicals and the stress that results from changing habitats, says Hartz. The EU will ban On Tuesday this week, it became clear that Norway and several other countries will have a ban on banning PFAS in the EU and EEA, writes NTB: – PFAS are among the most worrying substances we surround ourselves with, says the climate and environment minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) in a statement. A ban in the EU and EEA can contribute to stricter environmental regulation in the rest of the world as well, Eide hopes. – Manufacturers who want to export products to the EU must comply with the ban and hopefully choose the same standard in their own country, he says. The Minister for the Environment describes the regulatory proposal as the most extensive in the field of chemicals in the EU’s history. A final decision may come in 2025 or 2026.
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Sounding the alarm about high PFAS values around Svalbard – news – Klima
