According to new research, sea foam has a surprisingly potent hit. As such, it frequently has far more per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—a class of hazardous chemicals—than the groundwater underneath it. This research done at 13 different points across the mouth of the Cape Fear River and the adjacent Atlantic oceanfront gives some disturbing insights. It further sheds light on the alarming prevalence of “forever chemicals” in our oceans and other marine habitats.
The researchers collected water and sea foam samples from each site and screened them for 49 common PFAS. Incredibly, they identified 35 distinct PFAS among the samples. As a result, it was shown that concentrations in sea foam can jump to over 1 million ppt. In one foam sample, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) even exceeded the record-breaking 8 million ppt! PFOS is now one of the six PFAS that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have moved to explicitly regulate.
All of these incidents involved foam that was loaded with toxic PFAS. All the water samples taken throughout the study contained greater than 1 ppt of total PFAS. Indeed, some of the samples exceeded nearly a thousand times higher than the 1 ppt threshold, indicating pervasive contamination. In 1911, researchers uncovered a remarkable phenomenon. In their tests, PFAS levels in foam were tens to thousands of times higher than the levels in the water below.
Sea foam forms when ocean waves whip up air, algae, and other materials, forming a frothy, foamy appearance. This seemingly innocent natural process could be having enormous impacts on public health. Prior research has demonstrated that sea spray can transport PFAS from water sources into the atmosphere. This exposure can increase their risk of being harmed by these toxic contaminants and associated health effects.
The findings of this study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, emphasize the critical need for monitoring and regulating PFAS in marine environments. The rates of these chemicals we detected in sea foam are startling. They are indeed capable of wreaking havoc on aquatic ecosystems and human health alike.