Rural Issue

Is PFAS a threat to the food supply?

Environmental consultant Matt Schroeder tells Brownfield improved testing methods are finding more PFAS contaminated areas and if farmers are concerned they can test animals, water or soils but there are real guidelines out there for whether that’s an issue or not.

The Food and Drug Administration has released its methods for PFAS testing in several foods including milk. 

The FDA says it’s working with states to assess the safety of human and animal food from specific areas potentially affected by environmental contamination.  PFAS chemicals are manmade and can be harmful to humans.

FDA sampled milk from two farms with know PFAS groundwater contamination and one sample did have high levels of at least one PFAS chemical which FDA says is a health concern.  Milk production from that farm has been suspended.

Farms most at risk are located near a PFAS compound manufacturing facility that discharged or spreading biosolids from a municipal wastewater treatment plant that might be contaminated.

There are currently no federal standards on PFAS in food and several states are creating a patchwork of standards for ground, surface and drinking water.  Dairy farms in New Mexico and Maine have closed because of PFAS contamination and three Michigan municipal wastewater plants have stopped applying biosolids to fields after finding high levels of PFAS. 

FDA reports their Total Diet Study found PFAS was not detected in most food in 2017 samples after repeat testing was established.  Only a single chocolate cake and chocolate milk sample were positive, and the FDA has discerned chocolate can lead to false positives and has adjusted testing methods.

Produce testing from various regions found very low levels of PFAS chemicals which the FDA had determined are not a human health concern.

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