Superfund Research Program

September 2023

Hot Publication

Domestic animals like horses and dogs may help provide insight into PFAS exposure outside and inside the home, according to NIEHS-funded researchers at North Carolina State University SRP Center. Known as sentinel animals, horses and dogs are sensitive to environmental hazards like PFAS and can act as effective monitors for contaminants. PFAS are a class of chemicals linked to many health issues, including diabetes and immune dysfunction.

The team recruited participants with well water PFAS contamination from a neighborhood near a PFAS production facility in Cumberland County, North Carolina. Then, they took blood samples from the participants’ animals — 31 dogs and 32 horses total — to test levels of 33 types of PFAS in blood serum.

The scientists found the types of PFAS and concentrations of the chemicals in serum differed between dogs and horses. While horses had lower overall PFAS concentrations than dogs, PFAS composition in dog serum was more closely aligned with PFAS composition in humans. The authors believe this is because the animals inhabit different environments and encounter different PFAS sources.

These findings support previous studies regarding the use of dogs to monitor PFAS exposure in the home and introduce horses as a sentinel animal for PFAS exposure outside the home, say the researchers.

Additionally, the team found changes in biological molecules, known as biomarkers, related to kidney and liver function in the animals’ blood, indicating these organs may be sites of PFAS toxicity. According to the authors, future studies should explore the association between biomarker changes and PFAS exposure in dogs and horses.

To learn more, please refer to the following sources:

  • Rock KD, Polera ME, Guillette TC, Starnes HM, Dean K, Watters M, Stevens-Stewart D, Belcher SM. 2023. Domestic Dogs and Horses as Sentinels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure and Associated Health Biomarkers in Gray's Creek North Carolina. Environ Sci Technol 57(26):9567-9579. doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c01146 PMID:37340551