Orcas are contaminated with a forever chemical associated with an unlikely product

||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT |||

Orca whales are some of the most contaminated marine mammals in the world.

The species are full of chemicals – from “highly toxic and carcinogenic” PCBs to the infamous insecticide DDT.

Now, a group of scientists has discovered another chemical of concern – and it’s associated with toilet paper.

Scientists at the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, found a chemical known as 4-nonylphenol (4NP) – along with dozens of other chemicals – in the liver and skeletal tissue of 12 dead Southern Resident and Bigg’s orcas.

The chemical 4NP belongs to a group of chemicals known as alkylphenols, which UBC researcher Juan José Alava described to Insider as “very toxic.”

Although Alava, and other researchers who spoke to Insider, noted it is too early to decisively conclude how orcas are affected by 4NP, their discovery raises some alarm.

The amount of 4NP found in the killer whales, which tended to be higher in the blood-rich liver tissues, reached exceptionally higher in one calf.

“These contaminants basically can affect reproduction, development, and we know, based on the weight of evidence, affect cognitive function and also the nervous system,” Alava said. “So we are here talking about contamination that is harmful to the environment and harmful to this species of killer whales.”

Alava said that the exact source of 4NP affecting whales is unknown, the chemical can be found primarily in sewage sludge and wastewater treatment plants. It is also used in detergents and cosmetic products.

In addition to 4NP, over half of the contaminants discovered in the orcas belonged to a category of chemicals known as PFAS – commonly referred to as forever chemicals because of their difficulty breaking down in the environment.

PFAS can be found in drinking water, fish, and in trace amounts in human blood, and can heighten the risk for diseases like cancer and liver disease in humans.

The study authors noted that it was the first time 7:3-fluorotelomer carboxylic acid, a type of PFA, was found in an orca from the Pacific Northwest. Alava noted that 7:3 FTCA has not been found in British Columbia before, and could indicate that the pollutant is moving its way through the food systems.

‘They’re just being killed by 1,000 cuts’

Although Biggs and Southern Residents are both threatened by the possibility of extinction, Southern Residents, whose numbers are failing to grow, have scientists especially concerned.

FROM SCIENCE ALERT