New research aimed at identifying foods that contain higher levels of PFAS found people who eat more white rice, coffee, eggs and seafood typically showed more of the toxic chemicals in their plasma and breast milk.

The study checked samples from 3,000 pregnant mothers, and is among the first research to suggest coffee and white rice may be contaminated at higher rates than other foods. It also identified an association between red meat consumption and levels of PFOS, one of the most common and dangerous PFAS compounds.

“The results definitely point toward the need for environmental stewardship, and keeping PFAS out of the environment and food chain,” said Megan Romano, a Dartmouth researcher and lead author. “Now we’re in a situation where they’re everywhere and are going to stick around even if we do aggressive remediation.”

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Someone already mentioned this indirectly but I think this correlation is because all three items mentioned go on to be cooked in cookware coated in PTFE or mixed with spatulas and other utensils coated in PTFE.

    PTFE is indispensable for high tech uses such as well almost all processes where high temperature near water boiling point is required. 100 to 200C for example. Now, because of its original use as a food process coating, PTFE is about to be banned in a stupid way.

    I much rather have it banned from food use articles and allow it for use in niche technology. That would make the material more expensive and so less profitable to use in stupid uses where other materials are available.