Scientists Play Catch Up as New Chemicals Contaminate Great Lakes Birds

"Stain repellent and fire retardant chemicals that scientists know little about are increasingly showing up in herring gull eggs around the Great Lakes, spurring concern for potential health impacts.

The gulls are considered a sentinel species, and the contaminants appearing in their eggs paint a picture of a shifting chemical profile in the Great Lakes, which holds about 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water. While legacy pollutants, such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), still persist, a growing list of esoteric pollutants is showing up in wildlife.

'With phase-outs of some past problem chemicals … we’re now monitoring for and seeing new chemicals that may pose some of the same problems—being persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic,' said Michael Murray, a staff scientist at the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center."

Brian Bienkowski reports for Environmental Health News October 6, 2015.