Overview
- A University of Newcastle study in Communications Biology exposed male mice for 12 weeks to a PFAS cocktail matching concentrations from a Williamtown groundwater monitoring well, with an additional 10-times higher dose group.
- Daily sperm production fell during exposure, and key male hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were reduced at environmentally relevant levels.
- Despite normal motility and fertilising capacity in lab tests, sperm carried altered gene-regulating molecules linked to disrupted gene expression in early embryos from unexposed females.
- Some hormonal changes appeared only in the lower, Williamtown-matched dose, consistent with non-linear responses seen with endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
- Authors say the pre-clinical findings warrant further investigation for communities with PFAS contamination, aligning with broader monitoring that shows widespread Australian exposure and growing ecological concerns.