As the effects of PFAS become better understood, Mobile Baykeeper is investigating their prevalence in the Mobile Bay Watershed and considering methods to defend the waterways from this pollution.

Test results from the Mobile River detected moderate levels of several PFAS compounds including PFOA, PFOS and PFBS. Results were consistent with results from a scholarly paper out of Auburn University that was published in August. As noted in the paper, this is a concern because, “[PFOS] can pose a risk to wildlife in the bay, as PFOS was observed to cause developmental effects in several fish species (Wang et al., 2011) and to cause cellular damage to oysters (Aquilina-Beck et al., 2020).” Dischargers of PFAS in coastal Alabama will continue to be evaluated and regulations that defend the waterways and health from these pollutants will be supported.

Mobile Baykeeper is a nonprofit citizens advocacy organization headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. Mobile Baykeeper is dedicated to defending and reviving the waters of Coastal Alabama and Mobile Bay, including its watershed and the groundwaters and marshlands that are connected to these surface waters. MobileBaykeeper.org.