Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used group of synthetic compounds. Their most important representatives are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFOS). They are used in a variety of industries around the world (e.g. textiles, household products, automotive, food processing, electronics) because of their special properties, the most important of which is that they are extremely stable at high temperatures. Due to their high persistence and accumulation, living organisms are exposed to increasing concentrations in the environment.

Liver damage, decreased immune functions, cancer, birth defects and fertility issues are included in their adverse health effects.

Their distribution and production are regulated, however, in recent decades, manufacturers have been trying to use alternative compounds, which are much less effective. Many manufacturers use a mixture of compounds where the level of each compound does not reach the threshold of REACH regulation.

Regarding foods and food industry, the main source of exposure is food contact materials (FCM). Stricter regulations come into force in some countries, for example Denmark banned PFAS in cardboard or paper food packaging from 2020.

In the United States, the use of PFASs in food packaging for military meals ready-to-eat (MREs) is prohibited after October 1, 2021 and data is being collected to assess the risk.

A new exposure route in the food chain is the consumption of food of animal origin that has been bred in areas used for training fireworkers. Concentration of PFAS compounds is very high in these areas and with ground-water, they can reach the flora and fauna nearby. In Denmark, high concentrations were shown not only in water, soil and animal meat samples deriving from these areas but also in the blood of local consumers of grass-fed cow meat.

EFSA has been working on this issue for many years, with the latest risk assessment published in July 2020, setting a safe threshold for the four most persistent PFASs (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS). The tolerable weekly intake for this group of compounds has been set at 4.4 nanograms/kg body weight/week, which differs from the thresholds set in 2018 for PFOS and PFOA. According to the new risk assessment, PFAS intake exceeds safe levels in certain groups of the European population (toddlers, children), which is a health concern.

Environment Agency Austria has conducted biomonitoring survey on 85 primary school children. Urine samples were investigated for PFAS compounds, among others chemical contaminants. The results showed that 9 PFAS compounds out of 14 were detected. 7 compounds have been detected in more than 50% of the samples. They concluded that action is needed because of the high exposure of children and the resulting health risks.

Updates

Migration of PFAS from paper FCMs into food

In a review article published recently, the authors provide an overview of migration of PFAS from paper FCMs into food and assess consumer risk by dietary exposure. PFAS are widely used in paper and cardboard to provide resistance to water, oil, and other fats and have been associated with several adverse health effects. While in Europe currently no regulations exist on how to perform migration experiments on paper FCMs the Council of Europe recommended deploying those developed for plastic FCMs.

Lerch et al. pointed out that “knowledge regarding the migration behavior of PFAS from paper-based FCMs is scarce” especially concerning factors potentially influencing PFAS migration such as material properties (e.g., thickness), composition, and unintended or misuse of packaging.

Their exposure assessment indicates “the potential severity of PFAS migration from FCMs into foods.” In addition to further research on the migration behavior of PFAS from paper FCMs, the authors also advocate for “the improvement of general guidelines regarding migration tests for paper and cardboard FCMs.”