Birds Near US Military Bases Have Higher Levels of PFAS, Study Finds

By Jasmine Laws | Newsweek | October 16, 2025

Read the full article by Jasmine Laws (Newsweek)

"A new study has found that tree swallows near U.S. military bases carry higher levels of PFAS chemicals, which experts said could have implications across the food chain, impacting Americans.

While the findings are "not surprising," as many PFAS chemicals can "move from the environment into the bodies of living organisms," a process called bioaccumulation, the way in which these chemicals are affecting environmental health is "concerning," Jamie DeWitt, director of the Environmental Health Sciences Center at Oregon State University, who was not involved in the study, told Newsweek.

Newsweek has contacted the lead author of the study via email for comment."

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• SourcesMilitary bases
• Environment
• Wildlife
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data