Ocean Waves Mist Decades-Old PFAS into the Atmosphere

Sea spray rereleases large amounts of PFAS from the ocean into the atmosphere. Credit: Pexels/Jess Loiterton

“Forever chemicals” enter the air as sea spray aerosols, polluting coastlines and beyond.

A group of toxic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, slough off from household goods into local watersheds, eventually making their way down streams and rivers into the world’s oceans.

But instead of staying locked underwater, ocean waves rerelease these PFAS into the atmosphere via sea spray. The amount of PFAS entering the atmosphere this way may be comparable to or greater than the contributions of other sources such as industrial plants, according to a study published in Science.

Manufacturers add PFAS to household items to make them water- and stain-resistant. The chemicals don’t break down in the environment and instead accumulate in soils, plants, animals, and water bodies, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” Exposure to PFAS is linked to a host of human health issues such as liver dysfunction, kidney and testicular cancer, and reproductive problems.

Some governments have limited the use of certain PFAS types. But even long-restricted PFAS could still be circulating in the atmosphere, thanks to sea spray.

“Even if we completely stop the use of PFAS right now, we will still have this circulation between the air and seawater,” said Bo Sha, an environmental chemist at Stockholm University and lead author of the study. “And we will still have low-level exposure to these PFAS for a relatively long time.”

Airborne PFAS

As tiny air bubbles in the ocean rise to the surface, they collect PFAS. When those bubbles burst, they catapult PFAS back into the atmosphere in the form of aerosols. Because of their surfactant qualities, PFAS are an outlier: Most other pollutants in the environment aren’t usually transported via sea spray, said Cora Young, an environmental chemist at York University in Toronto who was not involved in the new study.

The study analyzed data from field experiments on an Atlantic Ocean research cruise. Researchers simulated sea spray using fresh seawater that was continuously pumped into a simulation chamber. Researchers then measured the emissions of two PFAS chemicals—PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid)—in the resulting aerosols.

Manufacturers add PFAS to household items to make them water- and stain-resistant. The chemicals don’t break down in the environment and instead accumulate … earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.”

The researchers estimated that globally, about 49 tons of PFOA and 26 tons of PFOS are emitted each year through remobilization via sea spray aerosols. Those values are similar to or higher than many estimates of the contribution of atmospheric PFOA and PFOS pollution from industrial manufacturing.

“Knowing how much PFAS is in the atmosphere is critical, because things in the atmosphere just move faster and end up […]

Full article: eos.org