Thousands of manmade chemicals might be interfering with the genes of birds before they hatch, according to a recent study on ducklings.
Scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) injected small amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into mallard duck eggs and then studied what happened to them.
They found that the chemicals interfered with the ducklings’ DNA, switching genes on and off in several organs, and potentially damaging their chance of survival.
PFAS, otherwise known as forever chemicals, are a group of manmade substances that take a very long time to break down in the environment.
In this study, researchers tested the effects of three different forever chemicals by injecting them into duck eggs. Then, they sealed the eggs with wax and incubated them until they hatched.
This was done in a controlled lab setting but was intended to imitate the sort of exposure that these eggs might encounter naturally, via their mothers.
As soon as the ducklings hatched, the scientists collected samples from their livers and hearts, as well as an organ only found in birds called the Bursa fabricii, which plays a role in their immune system.
In their livers, the scientists discovered that two out of three of the forever chemicals had caused genetic changes in the ducklings, altering genes that regulate their fat metabolism.
“Mallard ducks need to store and use fat according to a specific schedule that aligns with both the breeding season and migration,” warned the study’s first author, Anne-Fleur Brand, a recent PhD research fellow at NTNU.
“If their fat metabolism changes, it could reduce their chances of surviving or reproducing.”
When it came to the ducklings’ hearts, the scientists didn’t detect significant changes, which they said was surprising – but, in the Bursa fabricii, all the PFAS-exposed ducklings were affected.
“We found increased activity in a gene that normally helps detect viral infections,” said Brand. “We do not yet know if this helps or harms the birds.”
The scientists concluded that PFAS may be harming young animals, such as ducklings, and urged that the chemicals be better regulated.
Some forever chemicals are banned, but there are thousands of different types which are still in use, and we don’t yet know how they affect us, other animals and the planet.
In this study, the scientists tested one forever chemical that has already been widely regulated or banned – including by the European Union, UK and US – and two which remain in use.
“These substances are used in hundreds of products, ranging from frying pans and waterproof clothing to firefighting foam, food packaging and stain resistant coatings,” said Brand.
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