Analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the US meat, poultry, catfish, and eggs

The goal of this study was to investigate the occurrence and levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in meat, poultry, catfish and eggs from the US market. To this aim, 86 food samples were purchased from grocery stores around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and tested for 74 PFAS, including legacy and emerging PFAS, short-chain alternatives, precursors, and breakdown products. The method detection limits were 0.002–8 ng/g, depending on matrix and analyte. For beef, chicken, pork, and eggs, 10 samples each from conventional and organic production were tested. No PFAS were detected in eggs, chicken, and pork samples. PFOS was found in 25% of the tested beef samples at 0.057 - 0.145 ng/g wet weight, below the maximum level established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Twelve PFAS (FBSA, FOSA, C9 – C16 PFCA, PFOS, and PFDS) were found in one catfish sample with a total amount of 1.8 ng/g wet weight, dominated by PFOS (52% of the total amount). The highest level of PFOS measured in catfish (0.94 ng/g) was below the EFSA maximum level of 7 ng/g. However, calculated estimated weekly intake values for this catfish sample were nearly equal to the EFSA tolerable weekly intake value of 4.4 ng/kg body weight/week. Detection of PFAS precursors highlights the need to include these PFAS in future monitoring efforts. The information generated on PFAS occurrence and levels contributes to our understanding of the presence of these contaminants in US foods and helps to estimate the contribution of diet to overall human exposure to PFAS.