Risk assessment of PFAS in home‐produced chicken eggs in the Netherlands

Aim Certain environmental contaminants can transfer to products of animal origin such as meat, milk or eggs via animal feed, soil, water and/or grass. This also applies to Per‐ and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS). At the end of August 2023, the Dutch newspaper NRC published a study showing that home‐produced chicken eggs from the Dordrecht area (within a six kilometres radius around the Chemours chemical plant) contained high concentrations of PFAS. According to NRC, consumption of these eggs could lead to health risks. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is the competent authority that monitors compliance with laws and regulations for food in the Netherlands. Home‐produced chicken eggs are not subject to the supervision of the NVWA because they are not placed on the market for commercial sale. Nevertheless, the NVWA attaches high priority to consumer health, and consequently the NVWA was concerned by this situation. Therefore, the Office for Risk Assessment and Research (BuRO) of the NVWA assessed the risk to the health of Dutch consumers if exposed to PFAS over a longer period, via the consumption of home‐produced chicken eggs. Methods The risk assessment of PFAS in home‐produced chicken eggs in the Netherlands is based on the method followed by the Codex Alimentarius and the working method of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This method consists of four steps: hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk characterization. Results Home‐produced eggs in the Netherlands can contain high concentrations of PFAS. Depending on the way in which the total PFAS concentration is calculated, the mean total PFAS concentration in home‐produced eggs varies between 1.4 ng PFAS per gram total egg and 4.6 ng PEQ12 per gram total egg. The 95th percentile of the total PFAS concentration in home‐produced eggs is between 5.5 ng PFAS per gram total egg and 19 PEQ per gram total egg. At this time the source of the PFAS contamination is unknown. It is therefore not possible to predict in advance which eggs from private individuals contain these high concentrations and which not. Compared to home produced eggs, the mean total PFAS concentration (0.044 ng PFAS per gram total egg or 0.058 ng PEQ per gram total egg) and the 95th percentile (0.28 ng PFAS per gram total egg or 0.28 ng PEQ per gram total egg) in commercial eggs are lower. The weekly PFAS intake through the consumption of home‐produced eggs containing the high PFAS concentrations exceeds the health‐based guidance value (i.e. maximum safe intake) considerably. The ratio between the total weekly PFAS intake by children and adults through the consumption of home‐produced chicken eggs and the maximum safe intake ranges from 2.7 to 102. This means that the weekly PFAS intake through the consumption of these eggs over a longer period may result in health risks. This does not apply for the consumption of commercial eggs.