Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) include over 10,000 substances - such as PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid), PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). These are industrial chemicals that have been used for decades in the manufacture of a wide range of products, e.g. textiles, household goods, firefighting, automotive, food processing, construction and electronics.

The ingestion of PFAS can have negative health effects. Therefore, the use and production of the most commonly detected PFASs in Europe have been banned or restricted: PFOS in 2010, followed by PFOA in 2020 and PFHxS, its salts and related compounds in 2023. For undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and PFHxA-related substances , the use in clothing textiles, firefighting foams, paper and cardboard as food contact materials and in cosmetic products has been restricted.

On 7 February 2023, the European Chemicals Agency(ECHA) published the proposal for a ban on the manufacture, use and placing on the market (including import) of at least 10,000 PFAS.

PFASs are found in coatings for textiles such as outdoor clothing, as impregnation, in baking paper, in ski waxes or fire extinguishers. In cosmetics, they are used in mascara, makeup and lipsticks. PFASs are difficult to degrade and are now widespread throughout the environment. They are therefore also detectable in the food chain and in humans.

Humans absorb PFAS primarily through food, where these substances are most frequently detectable in fish, fruit, eggs and egg products, as well as through drinking water.

Once ingested in the body, PFAS bind to proteins in the blood and are excreted extremely slowly in humans, mainly via the kidneys. This leads to accumulation in the body, for example in the blood and liver. The half-life in the body can range from a few days and months (e.g. PFHxA, PFBA) to several years (e.g. PFOAS, PFOA, PFHxS), depending on the chain length of the PFAS. Globally, the levels of PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS in humans have been shown to be decreasing since 2000, whereas the levels of PFNA have been increasing.

PFAS pass into breast milk and accumulate in the fetal organism during the breastfeeding period. However, measurement results and modeling show that the blood levels of these compounds of long breastfed and non-breastfed children equalize within a few years.

Toxic effects due to short-term high intake (acute toxicity) are low for PFAS. Possible health effects caused by PFAS include decreased immune response to vaccination, increased cholesterol levels, developmental toxic effects in the unborn child such as delayed mammary gland development and lower birth weight, and the development of kidney and testicular cancer in adults.

Maximum levels for PFAS in food

From 1 January 2023, maximum levels will apply in the EU for PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS and for the sum of these 4 PFAS in foods such as eggs, fish meat, crustaceans and molluscs, meat and edible offal. These maximum levels are published in EU Regulation 2023/915. If the maximum levels are exceeded, these foods must be withdrawn from the market.

In addition, EU Recommendation 2022/1431 on the monitoring of perfluoroalkyl substances in food was published for other food categories, such as fruit, vegetables, starchy roots and tubers, wild mushrooms, milk and complementary foods. If the guideline values are exceeded, the cause of the contamination should be clarified by the food manufacturer. However, the goods remain marketable.

In Europe, the highest levels of PFOS and PFOA were found in edible offal from wild animals at an average of 214 µg/kg and 5.5 µg/kg respectively and in carp at 14.12 µg/kg and 4.1 µg/kg respectively. PFNA and PFHxS are found less frequently and in lower concentrations in food. Not only animal foods can contain PFAS, but also plant foods, as they can be easily absorbed through the roots. Small amounts of PFAS can also be measured in fruit and vegetables, e.g. an average PFOS content of 0.027 µg/kg in fruit and fruit products.

In Austria, PFAS are analysed as part of the priority action "Environmental contaminants in food - monitoring". A total of 85 food samples were analysed for the 4 PFAS PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS by 2022. PFOS was found most frequently in the food analysed, namely in 26 food samples, followed by PFOA in 21 samples and PFNA in 12 samples. The average levels of PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS in different food groups are shown in the table. The highest levels for PFOS were measured in bream at 2.57 µg/kg, followed by PFOA at 0.92 µg/kg in veal and PFHxS at 0.55 µg/kg in trout, turkey and pork.

• Avoid consumption of offal, especially game such as wild boar liver.
• Breastfeeding recommendations should be followed based on currently available data
• If local drinking water is contaminated with PFAS, we recommend using uncontaminated other water for drinking and preparing infant formula
• Do not use contaminated drinking water for activities that could lead to ingestion of the water such as drinking, cooking, or preparing food and beverages
• Contaminated water can be used for personal hygiene (showering, bathing, shaving, brushing teeth...) as absorption through intact skin is negligible. The water can also be used for domestic purposes such as dishwashing, cleaning and laundry. This does not lead to an increase in PFAS uptake.

Risk assessment

The European Food Safety Authority(EFSA) has already carried out several risk assessments on PFOS and PFOA. In 2008, a tolerable daily intake(TDI) for PFOS of 150 ng/kg bw/d and a TDI for PFOA of 1500 ng/kg bw/d were derived based on changes in blood lipids and thyroid hormones and liver toxicity in animal studies. A re-evaluation was carried out in 2018 and a tolerable weekly intake(TWI) of 13 ng/kg bw/w for PFOS and 6 ng/kg bw/w for PFOA was set based on increasing blood cholesterol levels in human studies(EFSA 2018). It should be noted that elevated cholesterol levels are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but are not directly considered a disease.

In September 2020, EFSA published a reassessment of the health risks posed by perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds in food. In this risk assessment, EFSA focussed on the sum of the following four PFAS, as they have similar substance properties and have been detected most frequently in human blood: PFOA, PFOS, perfluorononanoic acid(PFNA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid(PFHxS).

This risk assessment is based on epidemiological studies that have observed a correlation between the level of PFAS or the sum of PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFHxS in the blood of children and reduced antibody formation after certain vaccinations, such as tetanus and diphtheria. Based on these studies, a tolerable weekly intake(TWI) for the sum of the four PFAS of 4.4 nanograms per kilogram body weight per week was derived. This value indicates the weekly dose that is not expected to cause any adverse health effects in humans with lifelong intake. This TWI also protects against all other observed effects that may be caused by PFAS, such as developmental toxic effects in the unborn child, such as delayed development of the mammary gland and lower birth weight, and against the development of kidney and testicular cancer in adults.

In 2021, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has set Minimum Risk Levels (MRLs) for PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFNA for medium-term (15-364 days) oral intake. These MRLs are comparable to the tolerable daily intake (TDI) commonly used in Europe, with the difference that they are defined for different time periods. In detail, medium-term MRLs were derived for PFOA of 3 ng/kg bw/d, for PFOS of 2 ng/kg bw/d, for PFHxS of 20 ng/kg bw/d and for PFNA of 3 ng/kg bw/d. These values for medium-term, daily intake are significantly higher than the EFSA TWI value, which refers to a weekly lifetime intake.

The WHO has proposed provisional guideline values (pGVs) with the aim of reducing human exposure to PFAS and thus the risk. In deriving the pGVs, global data on the occurrence, including the co-occurrence of PFAS, available analytical methods and drinking water treatment methods were taken into account. Individual pGVs of 0.1 μg/l each are proposed for PFOS and PFOA. However, these have not yet been published and may still change in the scientific debate.

In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer evaluated PFOA and PFOS with regard to their carcinogenic effects. PFOA was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) as there is sufficient evidence of cancer in experimental animals and strong evidence of mode of action in exposed humans for PFOA and limited evidence of cancer in humans (renal cell carcinoma and testicular cancer). PFOS has been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) due to strong evidence of mode of action, limited evidence of cancer in experimental animals and insufficient evidence of cancer in humans(https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-evaluate-the-carcinogenicity-of-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa-and-perfluorooctanesulfonic-acid-pfos/).

Hazard classification and labelling of the European Chemicals Agency(ECHA)

The hazard classification and labelling of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds is carried out by the European Chemicals Agency(ECHA). The evaluation of the ECHA 's Committee for Risk Assessment(RAC) is based exclusively on the hazardous properties of the substance and the question of whether the substance can cause harmful effects. The risk or the extent to which people and the environment are exposed to the substance is not taken into account.

The ECHA has classified PFOS, PFOA and PFNA as probably carcinogenic(CARC 2) and toxic for reproduction(Repr. 1B), i.e. they can harm the unborn child and infants through breast milk. PFNA is also suspected of having an influence on fertility.

Due to its highly persistent and very bioaccumulative properties(i.e. the substance degrades very slowly in the environment and accumulates in organisms), PFHxS and its salts have been added to the list of substancesof very high concern(SVHC) in accordance with Article 54e. According to the REACH regulation, a substance of very high concern is defined as a substance with particularly hazardous properties that has serious effects on human health or the environment.

As soon as the ECHA identifies a substance as such, it is entered in the list of substances subject to authorisation in accordance with Annex XIV of the REACH Regulation. As an alternative to the authorisation requirement, SVHC can also be included in Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation and thus be subject to restrictions.

Definition OECD

According to the OECD, PFAS are defined as fluorinated substances that contain at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom (without an H/Cl/Br/I atom attached to it), i.e. with a few exceptions, any chemical with at least one perfluorinated methyl group (-CF3) or one perfluorinated methylene group (-CF2-) is a PFAS(https://one.oecd.org/document/ENV/CBC/MONO(2021)25/En/pdf).

Bans and restrictions

The use of PFOS has been banned in Europe since 2010. Since 2020, PFOA and substances from which PFOA can be released have been banned from use as pure substances in the EU. In mixtures and products, maximum quantities of 0.025 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) or 1 mg per kg (PFOA-releasing substances) have applied since 2020. There are exceptions or longer transition periods for various special uses. Since 2023, a ban on the manufacture and use of PFHxS, its salts and PFHxS-related compounds has also applied in the EU. Bans and restrictions on these persistent, accumulating substances are regulated in the EU in Regulation 2019/1021. On 7 February 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the proposal for a ban on the manufacture, use and placing on the market (including import) of at least 10,000 PFAS. The proposed ban was developed by experts from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden as part of the EU chemicals regulation REACH.

PFAS action plan

An action plan from the Ministry of Climate Protection aims to reduce PFAS pollution in the future. The plan provides for measures to combat emissions and environmental contamination and to protect groundwater and drinking water as well as food and human health. The implementation of the PFAS action plan is to be monitored by the PFAS platform committee, in which AGES also participates, and further developed in accordance with current requirements.