Presence of PFAS Detected in Dogs and Horses Residing near Fayetteville, NC

Researchers from North Carolina State University have conducted a new study that detected elevated levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the blood of pet dogs and horses from Gray’s Creek, N.C. These elevated levels were found even in dogs that only consumed bottled water. The study establishes horses as an important sentinel species and takes a step towards investigating the connection between PFAS exposure and liver and kidney function in dogs and horses.

The study included 31 dogs and 32 horses from the community and was conducted in response to concerns raised by community members regarding their pets’ well-being. All the households in the study relied on well water, which had been tested and confirmed to be contaminated with PFAS by state inspectors.

The animals underwent a general veterinary health check and their blood serum was screened for 33 different PFAS chemicals. The selection of these PFAS compounds was based on their presence in the Cape Fear River basin and the availability of analytical standards.

The researchers found 20 different PFAS in the animals from the targeted list of 33 PFAS. All the animals had at least one chemical detected in their blood serum, with over 50% of the dogs and horses having at least 12 out of the 20 detected PFAS.

Among the PFAS detected, the dog serum had the highest concentrations of PFOS, a long-chain PFAS widely used in industrial and commercial products. PFHxS, a surfactant present in consumer products and firefighting foams, was detected in dogs but not horses. PFAS compounds such as HFPO-DA (GenX), which contain ethers, were only detected in dogs and horses that consumed well water, confirming the wells as the known source of contamination.

Dogs that consumed well water had median concentrations of two PFAS—PFOS and PFHxS—that were similar to those found in children from the Wilmington GenX exposure study. This suggests that pet dogs can serve as important indicators of household PFAS exposure. Dogs consuming bottled water, on the other hand, had different types of PFAS in their blood serum, although 16 out of the 20 PFAS detected in this study were also found in dogs that consumed bottled water.

Overall, horses showed lower concentrations of PFAS compared to dogs, but had higher concentrations of Nafion byproduct 2 (NBP2), a byproduct of fluorochemical manufacturing. This indicates the possibility of contamination in the outdoor environment, possibly through the deposition of PFAS onto forage, contributing to their exposure.

“Horses have not previously been used to monitor PFAS exposure,” says Kylie Rock, postdoctoral researcher at NC State and the first author of the study. “But they may provide critical information about routes of exposure from the outdoor environment when they reside in close proximity to known contamination sources.”

Furthermore, the veterinary blood chemistry panels revealed changes in diagnostic biomarkers associated with liver and kidney dysfunction in the animals. These two organ systems are primary targets of PFAS toxicity in humans.

“Although the exposures we found were generally low, we observed differences in concentration and composition between animals living indoors and outdoors,” says Scott Belcher, associate professor of biology at NC State and the corresponding author of the study.

“The fact that some of the concentrations in dogs are similar to those in children reinforces the importance of dogs as in-home sentinels for these contaminants,” Belcher adds. “Additionally, the presence of PFAS in animals that don’t consume well water suggests other sources of contamination within homes, such as household dust or food.”

The study, titled “Domestic Dogs and Horses as Sentinels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Exposure and Associated Health Biomarkers in Gray’s Creek North Carolina,” is published in Environmental Science and Technology.

 

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