Food, mainly from animals, is an important source of population exposure to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), which have contaminated the environment to such an extent that the entire Swedish population is exposed to a greater or lesser extent. In collaboration with the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish National Food Agency, a study of PFAS in food of animal origin from farms located in PFAS-contaminated areas in Sweden is being conducted.
Some PFAS, mainly so-called perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs), are virtually non-degradable in the environment and have the ability to be stored in the bodies of animals and humans for long periods of time. The population's intake of PFAS from food and drinking water is on average close to the intake that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers safe from a health point of view (tolerable weekly intake, TVI). A few studies from other countries have shown that food of animal origin has been contaminated in primary agricultural production, due to food-producing animals drinking contaminated water, being fed contaminated feed, or foraging on land with contaminated soil. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how common this is in Sweden, and also abroad. In addition, it is not known to what extent the consumption of contaminated food contributes to the total PFAS intake of the population.
The project is compiling published knowledge on PFAS contamination of animal foods nationally and internationally, and also published knowledge from experimental studies where animals have been deliberately allowed to drink contaminated water or fed contaminated feed. Based on the results of these already published studies, and the results of the project's own studies (described below), models are built for calculating the transfer of PFAS from pasture/feed/water to food-producing animals, and to the food produced from these animals.
Based on published information on areas in Sweden with suspected PFAS contamination of food-producing animals' drinking water, feed and pastures, a screening study of PFAS contamination of cow's milk, beef and eggs is carried out. The aim is to investigate whether there is a risk that these foodstuffs of animal origin may be contaminated to levels above the regulatory limits for PFAS set by the EU. Finally, updated intake calculations of PFAS in different population groups with different frequency scenarios of consumption of contaminated foods are performed and the intake is related to the EU health-based tolerable intake of PFAS.
The project is expected to last from 2023 to 2025 and is funded by Naturvårdsverket.
The project is led by Anders Glynn.
Participants in the project group: