There could be something unexpected and uninvited lurking in your food. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that they have found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in certain foods and drinking water, including meat, dairy products, vegetables, and store-bought chocolate cake. Known as PFAs, this is a family of over 5,000 types of man-made chemicals, including PFOA, PFOS, and GenX. They are used in firefighting foam; on military bases; in the automotive, aviation, and construction industries, among others; and even on products you use at home, including non-stick pans, pizza boxes, sandwich wrappers, and as a coating on paper. Even though PFAs are used in many everyday things, scientists are still in the process of learning exactly how PFAs can affect human health.
It also seems that not every product that contains PFAs uses them to the same degree, which could mean that not all of these are equally dangerous. For example, one study found that some (but not all) sandwich papers and cleaning products contained amounts so low that they could be considered negligible. As for the potential health implications, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that so far, some studies have shown that certain PFAs may interfere with hormones, affect the immune system, increase the risk of cancer, and make getting pregnant harder.
The FDA have used Twitter to spread the word about other incidents of contamination — but so far, they haven’t commented on this.
#OUTBREAK ALERT: FDA, @CDCgov & state/local partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O26 linked to ALDI’s Baker’s Corner flour. There are 17 illnesses in 8 states. ALDI & ADM Milling announced a recall & @RIHEALTH issued a public warning https://t.co/38VqxynIvd pic.twitter.com/oSFLiaTvp1
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) May 24, 2019
The levels found in foods and water are disturbing. Since this is the first time the FDA has looked extensively into the potential impacts of PFAs, they don’t really have any information on what counts as a dangerous amount in your food. At the moment, the only guideline on PFAs offered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is based on drinking water, which they say shouldn’t exceed more than 70 parts per trillion.
However, according to the Associated Press, the store-bought chocolate cake contained 250 times more than that federal guideline amount.
Picture posed by model: the exact store the cake was bought from is unnamed.
And nearly half of the meat and fish that was tested contained double the recommended amount of PFAs.
Despite this, a spokesperson for the FDA said the contamination was “not likely to be a human health concern”.
However, according to VICE, the milk was deemed unfit for human consumption and discarded.
Another scary thing about PFAs is that they last forever.
They take a long time to break down, even after you stop exposure to the chemical — which is why they’re sometimes known by the dramatic name “forever chemicals.”
#EnvironmentalistPapers No. 16 - "Forever Chemicals"#PFOA #PFOS #PFAS #PFChttps://t.co/wReLpwp9wc pic.twitter.com/jgG4pHBruR
— Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen) January 2, 2018
This isn’t the first time concerns have been raised about PFAs.
In 2016, PBS reported that researchers at Harvard University had found PFAs in water systems supplying 16 million people — and 6 million of them were drinking from water supplies with PFA levels equal to or higher than the EPA’s guideline.
The infamous water crisis in Flint, MI, is partly caused by PFAs. The Detroit Free Press reported that the levels of PFAs in some water in the area is as high as 76,000 parts per trillion.
Study finds that Michigan has the most PFA contaminated sites out of all US states. PFA contamination is a nationwide problem, impacting millions of Americans and they can't just be boiled out of your water. https://t.co/YTo4wfikfF #PFAcontamination #SavetheWater
— Save the Water™ (@SaveTheWater) June 5, 2019
With limited information available, people are worried about what they can do.
I've written a lot about hormone-disrupting chemicals (#BPA #PFAS etc). These ubiquitous substances cause subtle changes to children's brain & organ development, leading to disease later in life. Countless parents have written to ask what they can do to protect their children. 1/
— Mariah Blake @mariahblake.bsky.social (@MariahCBlake) January 7, 2019
Some politicians have been reluctant to weigh in on the PFA problem in the past.
Holy moly. Anyone who cares about #PFAS, public health, or clean drinking water needs to read this. https://t.co/iL7nZGfpho
— Mariah Blake @mariahblake.bsky.social (@MariahCBlake) May 14, 2018
So now is a good time to tell them to act!
This new research means that something might finally be done.
Some states are already acting.
It’s even got Republicans and Democrats working together in some places:
Wisconsin is also trying to protect their citizens (and everyone else who doesn’t want to risk one day finding PFAs in our cheese!).
Wisconsin Introduces Comprehensive PFAS Legislation https://t.co/gMPG0W1kt5
— Ken Cook (@EWGPrez) May 30, 2019
According to Vice, the states of New Hampshire and New York are separately suing certain companies, whose actions they say have lead to contamination of some of their drinking water supplies.
Ironically, this news comes right before the FDA-sanctioned World Food Safety Day on June 7th.
Part of our mission @FDAFood, is being responsible for promoting & protecting the American public’s health by ensuring food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome, & honestly labeled. https://t.co/uN4Zyu6wyq #WorldFoodSafetyDay pic.twitter.com/tzzJ9Ot0He
— U.S. FDA Human Foods Program (@FDAfood) June 4, 2019
This isn’t to say you need to throw out all your food and stop drinking water — or eating chocolate cake. As we said, it’s still early days for figuring out the exact risks of PFAs. But do keep an eye on the news if you’re concerned to see what happens next.
