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Connecticut Congresswoman Wants Clarity On PFAS Contamination In American Food

Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro wants to see better FDA oversight of the chemical compounds used in food packaging.
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public Radio
Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro wants to see better FDA oversight of the chemical compounds used in food packaging.

Two members of New England鈥檚 congressional delegation are calling for a federal audit of PFAS chemicals in America鈥檚 food supply, with an eye toward understanding whether they can cause contamination. 

The chemicals -- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -- are found in a variety of foods and food packaging, but the science is inconclusive about what they do to our bodies. 

In June, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report on PFAS and said, 鈥渢he FDA does not have any indication that these substances are a human health concern, in other words a food safety risk in human food.鈥� 

But the FDA鈥檚 study was by its own admission, 鈥�,鈥� finding .  

The stakes are high. The study of PFAS toxicity in humans is an emerging science, but found PFAS chemicals in 98% of its human blood samples. These chemicals are persistent, hard to break down, and can accumulate in the body over a person鈥檚 lifetime.

That makes them a potential health risk. PFAS chemicals have been linked to immune system problems in people and cancer in animals. Complicating that, said Cheryl Fields, a toxicologist with the state Department of Public Health, are the numbers.

鈥淭here are about 4,700 PFAS chemicals, of which we only know toxicity of about 12 of them,鈥� Fields said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e really only sufficiently studied, probably less than a handful, maybe four or five PFAS chemicals.鈥�

Because of that, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said the FDA needs to do more about PFAS in the human food supply. 

鈥淲e have asked the federal government鈥檚 non-partisan, non-political watchog, that鈥檚 the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, to do a study to determine what actions are being taken at the federal level to evaluate the prevalence and risk of chemical food contamination,鈥� DeLauro said during a news conference Tuesday. 

That , submitted in June, was co-signed by Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. 

In the meantime, DeLauro said PFAS chemicals should be banned from food packaging. 

鈥淲hy would we not, until we know?鈥� DeLauro said.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for DeLauro鈥檚 office said, 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 received an official confirmation that they鈥檝e started an investigation yet, but we鈥檙e confident they will take up our request soon.鈥�

An immediate federal ban is unlikely, although some states like Washington are phasing out the chemical鈥檚 use. 

PFAS chemicals have been around since the 1940s. They鈥檙e used in firefighting foam, which has attracted recent attention following two high-profile accidents at Bradley Airport. Those incidents leaked PFAS into nearby rivers in Windsor. 

Many PFAS chemicals , which makes them ideal food packaging for products like pizza and popcorn. 

On its website, it is reviewing 鈥渢he limited authorized uses of PFAS in food contact applications鈥� and that the agency is 鈥渃ommitted to testing more foods, collaborating with other federal agencies, helping states develop their own testing capacities, and continuing to support responses to contamination events.鈥�

But DeLauro said the way these chemicals come to market needs to be overhauled.

鈥淭here isn鈥檛 an approval process so that there is a review of the chemicals,鈥� DeLauro said. 

Instead, DeLauro said, current regulations require manufacturers to notify the FDA of its intent to use PFAS chemicals in food packaging and demonstrate the chemical is safe under its intended conditions of use. The FDA then has 120 days to object to that notification. 

If it doesn鈥檛, or if it fails to respond to the letter, the chemical is free to go to market. 

鈥淢eaning some products may be entering the market without FDA review,鈥� DeLauro and Pingree wrote in their June letter.

鈥淲e are not sure which ones are in food packaging,鈥� said Brian Toal, with the state Department of Public Health. 鈥淭he most problematic ones that we look at in drinking water have been phased out of most food packaging, but they鈥檝e been replaced with other ones and we don鈥檛 know what they are.鈥� 

鈥淭he next big problem in looking at food packaging is finding alternatives,鈥� Toal said. 鈥淭hese chemicals serve a purpose in pizza boxes and popcorn bags. They keep grease from getting on the seat of your car. Adequate alternatives that do the same thing need to be identified before you can go ahead and ban the chemical outright.鈥�

Still, scientific uncertainty hasn鈥檛 stopped states from moving ahead on the issue. 

In 2018, restricted the use of PFAS in paper food wrappers, if safer alternatives are available. The state also banned any use of PFAS foams in firefighter training, airports to keep PFAS-filled firefighting chemicals on hand.

鈥淭his is complex,鈥� DeLauro said. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a very simple answer. We want to find out the answers.鈥�

Copyright 2021 Connecticut Public. To see more, visit .

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Patrick Skahill is a reporter at WNPR. He covers science and the environment. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of WNPR's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org.
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