New study found PFAS in 100% of tested breast milk

A new study published on Environmental Sciences and Technology found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in breast milk of all mothers tested.  

PFAS are substances widely used in food packaging and in tools surfaces like non-stick pans. Older PFAS, as PFOA or PFOS, are known to harm human health if ingested in large quantities, because they could accumulate and act as endocrine disruptors, causing hypercholesterolemia, ulcerative colitis, thyroid diseases and also cancer. Modern PFAS are declared safer than the older ones -which are now forbidden- and their residue levels in food are strictly limited. Despite these limits, this study found that the most abundant PFAS in breast milk were PFOA and PFOS, while short-chain PFAS were less present. Anyway, limits imposed by food safety agencies are working, because PFOS and PFOA levels have been decreasing for 15 years, while short-chain PFAS levels are growing.  

"We shouldn't find any PFAS in breast milk,” says Erika Schreder, one of the authors of the study. “Our results show that wider elimination is needed to protect babies and young children during the most delicate time of their life. Mothers work hard to protect their children, but large companies use these and other chemicals in their products that can contaminate breast milk even though safer alternatives are available”.  

In Europe, EFSA set the PFAS limits at 4.4 nanograms per kilogram of weight per week, while FDA guidelines set the safety level at 10 nanograms per liter of water.    


Source:  

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.0c06978