Trophic transfer

We investigate how contaminants accumulate and transfer through the food chain, impacting marine biodiversity.

PFAS y su acumulación en la biodiversidad marina austral

Los PFAS son sustancias creadas por el ser humano que se acumulan fácilmente en los organismos vivos. Debido a su estructura química, pueden comportarse de forma similar a algunas moléculas naturales del cuerpo, interfiriendo con procesos normales en plantas y animales.

Cuando un organismo pequeño acumula PFAS y luego es comido por otro más grande, los contaminantes se van concentrando a lo largo de la cadena alimentaria. Así, estos compuestos pueden pasar desde microorganismos a peces, y luego a focas, aves o ballenas.

A pesar de que no siempre causan la muerte, los PFAS pueden generar efectos negativos a largo plazo, como cambios en el funcionamiento de las células, en los genes o en el comportamiento de los organismos.

Esta línea de investigación busca comprender si estos contaminantes pueden amplificarse a lo largo de la cadena alimentaria y qué riesgos representan para la biodiversidad del ecosistema antártico.

FAQs

PFAS are found in the environment (water, soil and air) and in consumer products due to their persistence, accumulating in humans and animals. They are commonly present in non-stick coatings (Teflon), waterproof clothing, carpets, food packaging, cosmetics and firefighting foams.

Although Antarctica is far from industrial centers, chemical pollution spreads on a global scale. PFAS can reach Antarctica through atmospheric transport, ocean currents and local human activities.

Some PFAS are regulated under international agreements such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which aims to eliminate or restrict hazardous chemical substances that persist in the environment.

Because contaminants such as PFAS have been detected in air, water, ice and living organisms, showing that even the most remote ecosystems are connected to global human activity.

Yes, glacier melt releases PFAS that have been trapped for decades, reintroducing them into the ocean and increasing their circulation throughout the ecosystem.

Climate change intensifies the release and redistribution of contaminants such as PFAS, especially through glacier and ice melt.

Cristoobal galban
Cristóbal Galbáncristobal.galban@umayor.cl

Environmental biologist from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and PhD in Marine Sciences from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the University of Barcelona (UB), specialized in the biogeochemistry and environmental fate of persistent and emerging organic pollutants (POPs) in polar environments. 

He has led several scientific projects funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACh). He is currently a researcher at the Center for Genomics, Ecology and Environment (GEMA) at Universidad Mayor (UMayor) and an associate scholar at Florida International University (FIU, United States).

Featured research
Occurrence and diffusive air-seawater exchanges of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Fildes Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, Monitoring persistent organic pollutants in Antarctica in support of global chemical policy: a scan of priority actions and challenges, Levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Antarctic atmosphere over time (1980 to 2021) and estimation of their atmospheric half-lives
Gustavo chiang
Gustavo Chianggustavo.chiang@umayor.cl

Biólogo marino y doctor en Ciencias Ambientales de la Universidad de Concepción (UdeC). Realizó su postdoctorado en la University of New Brunswick (Canadá). A lo largo de su carrera, ha consolidado una línea de investigación en ecotoxicología acuática que articula biología, química ambiental y conservación, y liderado diversos proyectos ANID e INACH. 

En la actualidad, se desempeña como investigador del Centro para la Resiliencia, Adaptación y Mitigación (CReAM) y director del Programa de Doctorado en Salud Ambiental y Biomedicina de la Universidad Mayor (UMayor) y profesor adjunto de la University of Waterloo (Canadá).

Featured research
Persistent organic pollutants and porphyrins biomarkers in penguin faeces from Kopaitic Island and Antarctic Peninsula, Per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in the feathers and excreta of Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) from the Antarctic Peninsula, Bioaccumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in marine invertebrates and fishes from Antarctica and different coastal areas of Chile
Paulina bahamonde
Paulina Bahamondepaulina.bahamonde@umayor.cl


Bioquímica de la Universidad de Concepción y doctora en Biología de la University of New Brunswick (Canadá). Su investigación se centra en evaluar los impactos de contaminantes emergentes, metales y otros estresores del cambio global en ecosistemas acuáticos, utilizando peces como organismos centinela.

Es directora de CReAM en la Universidad Mayor (UMayor) y directora alterna del Centro IRIS.

Featured research
Male-biased sensitivity to wastewater effluent exposure in Harpagifer antarcticus from Fildes Bay, King George Island, Drugs in paradise: caffeine, cocaine, and painkillers detected in sharks from The Bahamas, Persistence, bioaccumulation and vertical transfer of pollutants in long-finned pilot whales stranded in Chilean Patagonia