On Feb. 7, Suncoast Waterkeeper Founder Justin Bloom, Board Member Richard Moore and I took Professor John Bowden and three of his research students into Tampa Bay to help them collect samples for an ongoing study of PFAS chemicals in the surface waters of Tampa Bay.
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that are resistant to heat, water and oil. They are also known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment. PFAS chemicals are synthetic compounds used on many everyday items and products that are hazardous to humans. Used in over 15,000 applications, the chemicals have various purposes because of their stain-resistant properties. Items treated with PFAS chemicals include kitchen cooking utensils, outdoor furniture, carpets and clothing. The chemicals are convenient, but their hazardous makeup raises many human health and environmental concerns.
The Bowden Laboratory’s research at the University of Florida is centered around two basic questions: What effect do the chemicals have on the health of the environment and what effect does our environment have on our health? To unravel these questions, they perform interdisciplinary research, including chemistry, engineering, marine science, toxicology and exposomics. Bowden’s lab is one of only a few capable of providing these comprehensive measurements. Exposomics is a method that detects both the chemicals of emerging concern and their corresponding health-related effects using biological markers.
Anglers can help in this ongoing project as citizen scientists. The Bowden lab is conducting a study on emerging pollutants in saltwater fish. They are looking at contamination levels from a human consumption standpoint to find novel data about contamination levels in more than 60 species. They need just 3-4 grams of fillet from various species for their analysis. They would also like the length, weight and the general location where it was caught. Sample collection will continue until April 1. If you are interested in helping, contact Bowden at john.bowden@ufl.edu. For more information on the lab’s research, check out their website https://www.bowdenlaboratory.com/saltwater-fish.html.
