It was surprising enough in March when a Maine researcher found traces of industrial chemicals in bird eggs collected from all corners of the state.

Whatever the species of bird, its diet or its habitat, the eggs contained a soup of chemicals, including pesticides, solvents and carpet-stain repellents. Some of the same chemicals have also been found in humans, including some raised in relatively pristine parts of Maine, harbor seals that swim along the New England coast and even Arctic polar bears.

Now comes perhaps the most surprising evidence yet to support the “if-you-look-for-it-you’ll-find-it” theory of environmental toxicology.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Mass., a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reported this week that it found chemical contaminants in deep-sea squids and octopods, including the “vampire squid.”

These species, which are eaten by deep-diving whales, live 3,300 to 6,600 feet beneath the ocean’s surface. How they got exposed to industrial chemicals like flame retardants and the pesticide DDT is a mystery.

“It was surprising to find measurable and sometimes high amounts of toxic pollutants in such a deep and remote environment,” said Michael Vecchione, a lead researcher at the center. Here is a news release about the study, which is being published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Part of the reason that we’re seeing more findings like this is that scientists are now able to detect the chemicals at low levels. In other words, it’s simply because we’re looking.

It’s not clear what affect, if any, the chemicals are having on the birds, the vampire squids or us, for that matter. But now that the chemicals seem to be showing up everywhere we look, it is, as Vecchione says, “a real concern.”

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