The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be investigating the presence of “forever chemicals” in seafood, with the goal of understanding how such contamination contributes to dietary exposures and public health.
The FDA has issued a request for information seeking scientific data on concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in seafood, the surrounding environment and processing water. The agency also said it would be looking for mitigation strategies for decreasing exposure to the compounds in this food supply.
Known for their ability to persist in the human body and the environment, PFAS have been linked to a variety of serious illnesses, including thyroid disease, kidney cancer and testicular cancer.
Many of these substances — of which there are thousands — have entered drinking water systems and food supplies due to their ubiquitous presence in waste streams and common household products.
“Addressing potential effects of Americans’ PFAS exposure is a national priority and is coordinated across several federal agencies,” the FDA said in a statement.
“Through these interagency collaborations, we are working to identify routes of PFAS exposure, understand associated health risks, and reduce the public’s dietary exposure to PFAS that may pose health concerns,” the agency added.
Internal testing at the FDA has indicated that seafood may be at higher risk for PFAS contamination in comparison to other types of foods, the statement explained.
This hypothesis is based on samples of the general food supply conducted by the FDA, including the agency’s Total Diet Study, as well as other surveys that targeted the most consumed seafood products in the country.
In the request for information, the FDA is appealing to a wide range of experts, including seafood industry stakeholders, academia and state and federal agencies.
“We will continue to apply the latest science to increase our understanding of the levels of PFAS in seafood and the reasons for differences within and across types of seafood and to help identify strategies that can reduce PFAS in seafood,” the FDA stated.