Here to stay: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food and in the environment
BfR FAQ, 16 June 2023
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of industrial chemicals that are used in numerous industrial processes and consumer products because of their special technical properties.
In the polyfluoroalkyl substances sub-group, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are the most thoroughly studied substances. Like many PFAS, these two compounds are not readily degradable and are now detectable everywhere in the environment, in the food chain, and in humans.
In September 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a reassessment of the health risks related to the presence of PFAS in food. This is the first EFSA opinion in which other PFAS, namely perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), have been included in the exposure assessment and health risk assessment in addition to PFOA and PFOS. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/news/pfas-food-efsa-assesses-risks-and-sets-tolerable-intake
In the reassessment, EFSA referred to the results of studies that indicate an effect of certain PFAS on the immune system. A tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 nanograms (ng) per kilogram (kg) of body weight per week was derived for the sum of four PFAS, namely PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS.
The use of PFOS has been largely banned since 2006 and that of PFOA since July 2020. On 7 February 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the proposal for a ban on the production, use and placing on the market (including import) of the entire group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). https://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfass-proposal-for-restriction-under-the-reach-regulation-submitted-to-the-european-chemicals-agency.pdf (PDF-Datei, 119,54 KB)