Perfluoroalkylated substances in food: occurrence and dietary exposure

Abstract

Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) are highly fluorinated aliphatic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability, as well as high surface activity. PFASs are used in a range of industrial and chemical applications e.g. textiles, paper, packaging materials, paint and varnish, and fire-extinguishing liquids. Several PFASs are recognised as environmentally persistent organic pollutants and are associated with adverse health effects. Diet is considered the main source of exposure to PFASs. In 2008, the EFSA Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) performed a risk assessment for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concluding that it is unlikely that adverse effects of PFOS or PFOA are occurring in the general population. The CONTAM Panel acknowledged the limitation of available data and recommended further monitoring of PFAS in food. The present report summarises occurrence data for PFASs collected in 13 European countries during the period 2006 to 2012. A total of 54,195 analytical results covering a list of 27 substances were included in the assessment. The overall proportion of quantified results was very low. Across food groups, PFASs were found more frequently in fish and other seafood and in meat and meat products (liver in particular). For PFOS, the dietary exposure estimates in the adult population was < 3.5 % of the TDI for average consumers and < 6.7 % of the TDI in high consumers. For the same consumer groups, exposure to PFOA represented < 0.3 % and < 0.5 % of the TDI, respectively. Exposure in toddlers was two to three times higher compared to adults. For the other PFASs evaluated, daily dietary exposure was estimated to be in the low ng/kg b.w. range. The current review confirmed that dietary exposure to PFOS and PFOA is highly unlikely to exceed health-based guidance values. SUMMARYPerfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) are highly fluorinated aliphatic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability, as well as high surface activity. PFASs have been used since decades in a range of industrial and chemical applications as processing aids in impregnation agents for textiles, carpets, paper, packaging materials, furniture, shoes, cleaning agents, paint and varnish, wax, floor polishing agents, fire-extinguishing liquids, photo paper, and insecticide formulations. The wide use of certain PFASs led to their global distribution in the environment including humans. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the most known PFASs.Public health concern towards PFASs was raised after several studies indicated that PFOS and PFOA have adverse health effects in experimental animals e.g. hepatotoxicity, developmental toxicity, neurobehavioral toxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, lung toxicity, hormonal effects, as well as a weak genotoxic and carcinogenic potential.Dietary exposure has been suggested as the main exposure route to PFASs in the human population. Fish and other seafood are conside...

Emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in human milk from Sweden and China

“…Sci. : Processes Impacts, 2020, 22,[2023][2024][2025][2026][2027][2028][2029][2030] This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020 49 These values were modied to tolerable weekly intakes (TWIs) of 13 and 6 ng kg À1 bw w À1 , respectively, in 2018 (1.8 and 0.8 ng kg À1 bw d À1 , respectively, assuming chronic intake), 50 and most recently (2020) to a single TWI of 8 ng kg À1 bw w À1 based on the sum of four PFAS (PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS). A comparison of the most recent TWIs to estimated weekly intakes (EWIs; based on S 4 PFAS; Table S9 †) in the present work revealed that all samples exceeded the TWI of 8 ng kg À1 bw w À1 .…”

PFAS Environmental Pollution and Antioxidant Responses: An Overview of the Impact on Human Field

“…Consumption of contaminated food and drinking water is regarded as the main pathway of human exposure [86,87], especially the consumption of fish, meat, and eggs [88]. Several studies have examined the risks associated with PFAS exposure through contaminated food and water [89]. Drinking water may also be a dominant exposure pathway, if the water source is situated in a PFAS-contaminated area [90], but other possible pathways are summarized in Figure 1.…”

PFAS Environmental Pollution and Antioxidant Responses: An Overview of the Impact on Human Field

“…Consumption of contaminated food and drinking water are regarded as the main pathways of human exposure [86,87], and the major sources of human exposure to PFOA and PFOS include the consumption of fish, meat, and eggs [88]. Several studies have examined the risks associated with PFAS exposure through contaminated food and water [89]. Drinking water may also be a dominant exposure pathway, if the water source is situated in a PFAS-contaminated area [90], but other possible pathways are summarized in Figure 1.…”