Forever What You Eat?

Per and polyFluoroAlkyl Substances (PFAS) is the family of around 1600 synthetic chemicals, used to make a vast range of commercial products water and/or stain resistant. They are known as 'forever chemicals', as they are not broken down once they enter the environment. PFASs increase risk for a number serious human health issues. There's much concern because, in the USA, 'forever chemicals' are found in tapwater supplies. It now appears that certain foods also have high concentrations of PFASs (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/04/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-food). Scientists at Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, USA) took blood and breast milk samples from 3,000 pregnant mothers. They found that subjects, eating more white rice; eggs and seafood, had especially high PFAS levels in their samples. This was also true of those drinking more coffee. Some of these ingredients presumably get their high levels simply by using contaminated water. Others, accumulate these pollutants, when sewage sludge (also high in PFAS) is used as cheap fertilizer. Fruit and whole grains appear to be healthier dietary options.