{"id":251,"date":"2020-12-02T18:43:10","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T18:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/hoverman\/?page_id=251"},"modified":"2025-07-01T19:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T19:00:46","slug":"serdp-amphibian-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/hoverman\/serdp-amphibian-research\/","title":{"rendered":"SERDP Amphibian Research"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SERDP Amphibian Research<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\u2018Forever chemicals\u2019 and amphibians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS, are synthetic chemicals of emerging concern. Since their development in the mid-20th century, PFAS have been used in numerous consumer and industrial applications, including as a component in Teflon, Gore-Tex, Scotch-Guard, food packaging, and foams used to fight fuel fires. While these unique chemicals are highly effective in their intended uses, their water solubility, resistance to degradation, and potential to exert toxic effects at low doses has led to a growing concern at their now global presence in humans and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prevalence of PFAS at military sites where fire training exercises have been conducted and the great uncertainty surrounding their impact on wildlife, including amphibians, has driven our PFAS research funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). Our goals were to assess the effects of four PFAS commonly associated with AFFF use on aquatic and terrestrial life stages of three North American amphibians: Northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens), American toads (Anaxyrus americanus), and Eastern tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Findings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n