CHEM Trust: New Study Links Consumption of Coffee and Eggs with Higher Levels of PFAS in the Body
A new US study has found that the consumption of common foods and beverages such as coffee, eggs, and white rice could be linked to higher levels of PFAS in pregnant women.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of over 10,000 highly persistent chemicals. Because they do not break down easily in the environment, they have been given the nickname the ‘forever chemicals’.
Exposure to PFAS has been linked to numerous negative health impacts, such as liver damage and increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer.
People can be exposed to PFAS through various means due to their presence in everyday products such as cosmetics, clothing, and cleaning products. One of the most common exposure routes is via contaminated food and water.
Food can become contaminated with PFAS in numerous ways, for example, through the use of PFAS-containing pesticides on crops or migrating from PFAS-containing food contact materials.
The recent study analysed samples from 3,000 pregnant women in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. It found a link between the consumption of certain foods and elevated PFAS concentrations in the maternal plasma and breastmilk of the women.
Red meat intake was associated with higher levels of PFOS in breastmilk, and white rice intake was associated with higher levels of PFOA in breastmilk. PFOS and PFOA are two of the most studied chemicals in the PFAS family. Both chemicals are restricted globally under the Stockholm Convention but continue to be found in our environment due to their extreme persistence.
Additionally, the consumption of eggs, coffee, and seafood was linked to higher concentrations of PFAS in the samples. This was one of the first studies to identify a relationship between coffee and white rice intake and elevated PFAS levels.
Despite this, the World Health Organisation acknowledges that the breastfeeding of babies is still the best option for their health.
Megan Romano, a Dartmouth researcher and lead author of the study, said:
“The results definitely point toward the need for environmental stewardship, and keeping PFAS out of the environment and food chain.”
Current UK regulations on PFAS are outdated and not protective enough. We need the UK to align with the EU and commit to bringing in a restriction on the entire group of PFAS chemicals.
Governments across the world must act faster to phase out all PFAS and companies should immediately work to phase out PFAS and replace them with safer, non-PFAS alternatives.
Read more about the effects of PFAS here.