It’s ‘Nearly Impossible’ to Remove Toxic PFAS From Your Diet. Here’s What You Can Do

Research in recent years has shown or pointed to the presence of toxic PFAS – “forever chemicals” – in a range of commodities and beverages in the food system.

These include kale, Eggs, butterprotein powder, milk, Ketchup, coffee, rapeseed oilsmoothies, teabeef, juice drinks and rice. Evidence suggests they are most common in takeaway meals, seafood even pet food.

So, how can you avoid PFAS in your diet? Well, you can’t.

“It’s almost impossible to shop your way out of contamination,” said Sarah Woodbury, vice president of policy at Defend Our Health Maine, which has worked on issues surrounding PFAS in the state’s food. “I really don’t think there’s any way to know 100 percent what you’re getting into with contamination.”

While it is impossible to avoid chemicals altogether, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce your exposure to chemicals and protect your health.

How are you exposed to PFAS through food?

PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are commonly used to make products that are resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally and build up, and have been linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.

While regulators have focused on reducing PFAS in water, there is general agreement that food poses the greatest threat to public health. largest route of exposure – although it’s not a foregone conclusion. No food is completely safe from contamination because PFAS are used in thousands of consumer products and industrial processes, contamination is so widespread, and there are countless points of entry into the food system.

The Food and Drug Administration has no limits for PFAS in food. While it monitors the chemicals, it uses methodology that Public health advocates accuse it seems like food is generally less contaminated than it actually is.

One of the most serious concerns is sewage sludge, which is used as a cheap alternative to fertilizer on farmland and is thought to be rife with PFAS. Farms that use the substance have found troubling levels of the chemical in their meat and produce, as crops intake the connections.

Water used for agricultural crops or livestock may be contaminated because can animal feedwhile most pesticides contain PFAS.

Processed foods tend to contain more PFAS than less processed foods, research shows, in part because there are more points of entry for the chemicals. Bulk food storage bins are often treated with PFAS, potentially contaminating common base ingredients like limonene.

Some individual plastic food containers sold in stores are treated with the chemicals, and while the FDA recently phased out PFAS used in paper packaging products, including “compostable” molded fiber bowls, new PFAS compounds could be approved for use in the products in the future. Additionally, recycled paperor packaging produced in other countries often still contains PFAS.

The chemicals are widely used in cookware to prevent food from sticking to pans, utensils, rice cookers, coffee filters and other items. Seafood, on the other hand, is often infected because lakes, waterways and the ocean are severely polluted.

Change your consumption habits

Research has shown that people who generally eat a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables may have lower blood levels of PFAS. Products require less packaging and processing, which reduces the entry points for PFAS. Eating less meat, especially red meat, is also recommended.

“What I’ve told people from the beginning is don’t eat blood products, and meat and dairy products have more blood in them than vegetables,” said Stephen Brown, a researcher at Sierra Club Michigan.

An important caveat is that some vegetables, especially leafy greens, absorb the chemicals. Vegetables grown near sources of PFAS contamination or in sewage sludge are at high risk of contamination.

There is no way to know which farms are using sludge, researchers say. Even if there were, there is often no way to know which farm milk went into the carton you buy in the store.

Organic foods are better because they don’t contain most pesticides, but some farms in Maine found to be contaminated with PFAS from sludge were organic and The water from farms can be contaminated. And all the pasta sauces was found to contain PFAS in recent testing were organic.

Research also suggests that consuming different types of food and beverages can reduce PFAS blood levels. Regularly drinking one hypothetical contaminated brand of orange juice could pose a real health threat. Switching brands can reduce the amount of PFAS consumed.

Eat out less and prepare food at home

Research has linked higher blood levels of PFAS to more frequent eating out, since takeout requires more packaging and the foods are typically more processed. Some public health advocates have told me they bring their own glass containers to restaurants to take home leftovers to avoid toxic “doggie bags.”

Conversely, cooking at home has been associated with lower PFAS blood levels. Avoiding the chemicals in cookware at home can be tough, but my story on how to choose nontoxic cookware, utensils, and other kitchen items can help you navigate the minefield.

By buying products in the store that come from glass jars instead of plastic, for example, you avoid packaging containing PFAS where possible.

Eat a moderate amount of seafood

Saltwater fish may be safer than freshwater fish from the USA because PFAS are more diluted in the ocean than in rivers or lakes, recent research suggests. That’s especially a concern for those who regularly catch and eat seafood, because “there’s potentially significant exposure from those locally caught fish,” said David Andrews, a co-author of the Environmental Working Group study.

People who go fishing should take into account the state’s advice not to eat, but this is often insufficient.

Recent to test of 26 species of mostly saltwater fish sold fresh at a market in coastal New Hampshire contained PFAS in total, with the highest concentrations in shrimp and lobster. Saltwater fish near urban areas and military bases also contained alarming levels of PFAS, including crab, bass, oysters and mussels from the Chesapeake Bay.

The levels are so high that I no longer eat food from the Chesapeake or Puget Sound, and rarely from the Great Lakes. I also check Google Maps to see if oysters on a menu have been farmed near military bases. If so, I avoid them.