Officials Underestimating PFAS Chemicals Lurking in US Food: Scientists

"The American food supply is likely riddled with far more dangerous toxins than the average consumer would anticipate, and scientists say they lack sufficient, streamlined data about the “forever chemicals” lurking in food packaging and farmlands.

While state and federal agencies have improved data collection for PFAS — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — in drinking water, only “anecdotal evidence” exists for other exposure sources, such as ingestion of food, inhalation of dust and dermal uptake, Elsie Sunderland, an environmental chemistry professor at Harvard University, told the Subcommittees on Environment and Research and Technology earlier this week.

“While we've made progress in understanding the contribution of drinking water as an exposure source, the relative importance of these other sources is basically not understood,” Sunderland said in a Friday interview with The Hill."

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill December 12, 2021.

Source: The Hill, 12/14/2021