Are levels of forever chemicals rising in marine mammals globally?

Forever chemicals are special kinds of toxins that never go away, they stay in our environment and inside animals for a very long time. Scientists are checking if more of these tricky chemicals are ending up in big sea creatures like whales, dolphins, and seals around the world.

Imagine you have a super sticky glue that once you stick it on something, it never comes off, no matter how much water or sun you use. Forever chemicals are kind of like that sticky glue inside animals and in our oceans.

These chemicals come from things we use every day, like plastic bottles, non-stick pans, and some kinds of cleaning products. Once they get into the ocean, little fish eat them, then bigger fish eat the little ones, and eventually, big sea mammals end up with a lot of these toxins inside their bodies.

Scientists are taking samples from marine mammals in many parts of the world, like the Arctic, the Pacific Ocean, and even near you. They find more and more forever chemicals inside these animals over time. It looks like the amount is getting bigger each year, which means the levels are rising.

This might be because we’re using more things with forever chemicals every day, and they keep ending up in our oceans, just like crumbs from your snack bag that end up on the floor, and then get stepped on by everyone in the house. Forever chemicals are special kinds of toxins that never go away, they stay in our environment and inside animals for a very long time. Scientists are checking if more of these tricky chemicals are ending up in big sea creatures like whales, dolphins, and seals around the world.

Imagine you have a super sticky glue that once you stick it on something, it never comes off, no matter how much water or sun you use. Forever chemicals are kind of like that sticky glue inside animals and in our oceans.

These chemicals come from things we use every day, like plastic bottles, non-stick pans, and some kinds of cleaning products. Once they get into the ocean, little fish eat them, then bigger fish eat the little ones, and eventually, big sea mammals end up with a lot of these toxins inside their bodies.

Scientists are taking samples from marine mammals in many parts of the world, like the Arctic, the Pacific Ocean, and even near you. They find more and more forever chemicals inside these animals over time. It looks like the amount is getting bigger each year, which means the levels are rising.

This might be because we’re using more things with forever chemicals every day, and they keep ending up in our oceans, just like crumbs from your snack bag that end up on the floor, and then get stepped on by everyone in the house.