Florida oysters found to have toxic ‘forever chemicals’

By Angela Nicoletti | Phys.org | July 7, 2022

Read the full article by Angela Nicoletti (Phys.org)

“When FIU Institute of Environment scientists sampled 156 oysters from Biscayne Bay, Marco Island and Tampa Bay, they detected contaminants—perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) and phthalate esters (PAEs)—in every single one. These contaminants pose serious health risks to people and wildlife, and the oysters prove they are in the water and have crept into the food chain. The findings were recently published in Science of the Total Environment.

‘I wanted to look into what we’re eating and if it might be contaminating us,’ said Leila Lemos, the study’s lead author and an FIU distinguished postdoctoral scholar. ‘These findings are definitely a red flag, especially for areas like Biscayne Bay.’

As filter-feeders, oysters are among the best sentinels and can reveal a lot about the overall health of an ecosystem, including levels of contamination."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.