Researchers involved in an Australian-first study on the presence of "forever chemicals" in platypuses say they are "shocked" by the findings.

In short:

An Australian-first study found perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in the liver of deceased platypuses collected from numerous rivers in eastern NSW.

Researchers said the findings were “shocking” and raised concerns the chemicals were more prevalent in Australia’s environment than previously thought.

PFOS is toxic to humans and has been linked to some cancers.