Does clean energy have a dirty downside?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Electric cars! Sleek, silent, and saving the planet! Or… are they?
Jennifer L. Guelfo and team from Texas Tech and Duke University took a closer look at lithium-ion batteries.
They detected PFAS – toxic “forever chemicals” – not just in batteries themselves, but leached into the water and soil from production and disposal sites.
How bad is it? The team tested PFAS on tiny marine critters like water fleas and zebrafish. Even two point five nanograms per liter caused changes. That’s a droplet in an Olympic pool! Baby fish swam in fast, erratic bursts, a sign of nervous system disruption.
Huh. Green tech may not be so squeaky clean.
Reference: Guelfo, J.L., Ferguson, P.L., Beck, J. et al. Lithium-ion battery components are at the nexus of sustainable energy and environmental release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Nat Commun 15, 5548 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49753-5