food control
The impact of bioaccumulants in the food chain
LGC Standards
Per and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that are resistant to oils, water and heat, making them some of the most useful components of stain-resistant fabrics, cleaning products, paint, and firefighting foams in the 21st century. PFAS molecules are made up of fluorine atoms along a carbon backbone. As the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest covalent bonds, these molecules tend not to readily degrade in the environment. In fact, the half-life of short-chain PFAS materials is typically between two and five years. This persistence means these chemicals have been found in unusual places: in May this year a paper was published by Miner et al. (2021) which identified PFAS in meltwater and snow samples from Mt. Everest and PFAS have also been found in blood samples taken from polar bears in the Arctic.
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FAS can enter the food chain through drinking water, food, or even inhalation or absorption of particles. With thousands of PFAS compounds, understanding of their effects is still in its infancy, but we know some are bioaccumulative in humans and animals, and studies show two of the most common, PFOA and PFOS, can cause negative reproductive, developmental, liver, kidney, and immunological effects in lab subjects.
- Environmental contaminants from industrial or consumer chemicals - Process contaminants, which form during processes such as high-temperature cooking. With such a wide variety of ways that potentially harmful materials can be introduced into our food chain, how can we be sure that the food and water that we consume are safe?
In addition to PFAS, many other chemicals can accumulate in food and the environment, such as: - Natural toxins from fungi, algae, or plants, including some weeds and sea plankton - Metals and inorganic substances such as lead, mercury and chemicals from agriculture such as nitrates - Veterinary medicines that have limited or prohibited use in food-producing animals
técnicas de LABORATORIO
440
Nº 464 SEPTIEMBRE 2021
