The PFAS, an invisible dangerous chemical substance, menaces the Faroe's fantastic habitat.

The splendid nature of the Faroe Islands is unmissable – quite literally. Whether you sail between fjords or fly between mountains upon arrival, you will be keenly greeted by spectacular nature, regardless of season. Verdant green valleys are engulfed by steep, dramatic mountains, protecting small picturesque villages with colourful turf-topped houses, all home to the freshest air. The vast ocean is the backdrop to any location, with no place in the Faroe Islands distanced more than 5 kilometres from the North Atlantic.

A journey into the mountains of the Faroe Islands will give you a sense of peace and liberation. The only audible sounds are those of running streams or birdsongs (and the occasional bleating sheep, of course!). Magnificent nature offers the perfect setting to step back and feel that sense of inner peace, a chance to hear that inner voice and moments of complete relaxation.

Nature as a whole is revered here. Its influence on local culture cannot be undervalued, and its significance in shaping the islands' inhabitants is profoundly evident in their character and way of thinking.?

They are located 320 kilometres (200 mi) north-northwest of the United Kingdom and about halfway between Norway (580 kilometres (360 mi) away) and Iceland (430 kilometres (270 mi) away). The Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 mountainous islands with a total land area of 1,399 square kilometres, a sea area of 274,000 square kilometres and a population of 50,000. The inhabitants are scattered over 17 islands, although 40% live in the capital, Tórshavn.

Today, enduring is a nation where the standard of living is one of the highest in the world. The industrial economy, mainly based on fisheries and aquaculture, continues flourishing. At the same time, a Nordic welfare model ensures everyone the opportunity to explore his or her own potential.?

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing nation under the external sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. Faroe Islands have exclusive competence to legislate and govern independently in various areas. The Faroe Islands have a highly developed infrastructure and a well-educated population.

The Faroe Islands are characterised by active participation in all aspects of local community life. This contributes to social cohesion and a strong sense of identity. Local communities are actively involved in environmental conservation.?

Due to its remote location in the North Atlantic Ocean, the scarce population and limited industrial plants, the Archipelago deserves an uncontaminated environment.

However, an invisible danger menaces this fantastic habitat: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.

The inhabitants of Faroe have some of the world's highest concentrations of PFAS in their blood, even though they live far away from sources of contamination with those substances.

PFAS—or poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances—have been around since the 1950s and were part of the "better living through chemistry" era. These chemicals emerged in common household goods, starting with Teflon and Scotchgard. They have made their way into today's wrinkle-free shirts and waterproof jackets.

When PFAS burst onto the scene in the 1950s, it was a time of relaxed environmental concern and regulation. As a result, early PFAS manufacturers may not have violated the safety standards of the time. However, in the 1980s, PFAS chemicals emerged as high-priority environmental contaminants. Then, in 2000, researchers recognised their ubiquitous occurrence in human blood and began associating them with adverse health impacts.

Today, PFAS is still used in almost all industries for many products, such as textiles, carpets, shoes, nonstick pans, food packaging, cosmetics, fire foam, flame retardant additives, and pesticides.

PFOS, PFOA, and other PFASs are commonly described as persistent organic pollutants or?"forever chemicals"?because they do not break down via natural processes. Many contaminated sites are being discovered today, often with highly elevated PFAS concentrations in drinking water. Drinking water for over 110 million Americans has PFAS concentrations exceeding the EPA health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt). Moreover, PFAS are highly stable and do not break down quickly in the environment; consequently, they now result in worldwide food chain contamination.

Residues have been detected in humans and wildlife, prompting concern about their health impacts. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, PFAS exposure is linked to an increased risk of dyslipidemia (abnormally high cholesterol), suboptimal antibody response, reduced infant and fetal growth, and higher rates of kidney cancer.

When released into the environment, PFAS is bio-magnified through the food chain. The substances are long-range transported to the Arctic via the atmosphere and ocean currents. Wildlife is heavily contaminated by those chemical agents via seawater and winds. Fish, marine mammals, and seabirds eat those substances with their food, which contains high PFAS concentrations.?

Like many other communities worldwide, the Faroes are primarily exposed to PFAS. Although no PFAS or consumer goods are manufactured in the Faroes, due to the biomagnification of these persistent substances, the Faroese are exposed to industrial contaminants from faraway sources—in considerable measure, North America.

Consequently, the high levels of PFAS in the blood of the Faroes' inhabitants primarily originate from their food. In fact, their traditional dietary habits are based mainly on fish, but also the meat of small cetaceans, eggs, and meat of some species of seabirds.

The study, which has just been published in the journal?Lancet Planetary Health, shows that 92% of residents in Faroe have far more PFAS in the body than the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends to avoid damage to the immune system.

In addition, 86% of the inhabitants have blood values higher than EFSA's threshold value for serious risk of damage to the immune system.

The Source, Transport, Exposure, and Effect of PFAS (STEP) research project is a partnership between the University of Rhode Island, Harvard University, and the Silent Spring Institute. This longer-term study site has partnered with The University of the Faroe Islands, the Head of the Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, and the Faroese Hospital System Medical Director.?

Since 1985, STEEP researchers have conducted cohort studies in the Faroes with successful follow-up rates and minimal attrition. These cohorts were formed much before concerns about the effects of PFAS on health arose. Still, the STEEP Childhood Risk study has used this unique epidemiological setting to newly analyse banked blood samples for PFAS concentrations to determine possible links between PFAS exposure profiles, immune dysfunction, and metabolic abnormalities. The data analysis will consider other factors, including exposure to different environmental chemicals, the sex of the child, and diet.

The 50,000-strong Faroese population—primarily of Nordic and Irish origin—is relatively homogenous. This homogeneity and the high participation rate in the clinical follow-up represent advantages that would be nearly impossible to match anywhere else. The Faroese are also comparable in many ways to other Western populations, ensuring that the results will inform exposure risks not only in the Faroes but also in different communities worldwide that may also be exposed to high levels of PFAS.

The STEM research on Faroe results has been helpful for detailed measures to address the inhabitants with instructions for mitigating the exposure to PFAS through changes in their diet. Those results also benefit medicine in many fields and for different sanitary issues.

Faroe authorities have implemented technology to sanitise water for domestic consumption.?

This knowledge regarding the adverse effects of PFAS sensibilise communities and authorities worldwide to take quick measures, such as a ban on PFAS and the use of alternatives to PFAS. Moreover, persistent environmental pollution will continue to threaten public health worldwide.?

On 7 February 2023, the European Chemicals Agency proposed limiting the EU's production, use, and marketing of more than 10,000 PFAS substances to limit the spread of these substances.?

As a rule, PFAS will generally be banned in the EU, but unfortunately, not in various pesticides.

Similar actions are underway in the US.