Seven out of eight US kale samples recently tested for toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” contained high levels of the compounds.
The testing looked at conventional and organic kale bought at grocery stores across the country, and comes after Food and Drug Administration analyses conducted between 2019 and 2021 found no PFAS contamination.
PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds typically used to make products across dozens of industries resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver conditions, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.
The report comes amid growing calls for stronger action around PFAS-contaminated food, which is considered to be the most significant exposure route to the chemicals. In recent months, independent research has found PFAS in protein powders, juice drinks and other food products.
Studies have previously found PFAS in vegetables in fields where sewage sludge was laid as an alternative to fertilizer, and the FDA claimed it had “no indication” of a health threat in PFAS it found in vegetables grown in 2018 near a North Carolina PFAS manufacturing plant.
The new paper found levels as high as 250 parts per trillion (ppt), though no limits for PFAS in food exist in the US. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that virtually no amount of exposure to some PFAS compounds in drinking water is safe.
The kale was sent to an EPA-certified lab and tested with the same method used by the FDA. Bagged and loose kale was bought at Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Weis and Publix food markets. Among the brands that showed PFAS contamination were Nature’s Promise Organic, GreenWise, By Nature and Palmetto Gardens. Only loose kale from Baker Farms did not contain the chemicals.
Organic kale had higher levels of PFAS, which Verkerk said was “a bit of a shock finding”. He added that the group tested kale because it “wanted to look at an archetypal healthy vegetable” that was high in protein, which PFAS compounds bind to. The source of the contamination is unclear, but Verkerk said he suspected tainted water was probably to blame, though it was also possible the kale was grown in fields where sludge was spread.
“READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/30/kale-pfas-forever-chemicals-contamination
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