TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances in food
AU - EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM)
AU - Schrenk, Dieter
AU - Bignami, Margherita
AU - Bodin, Laurent
AU - Chipman, James Kevin
AU - del Mazo, Jesús
AU - Grasl-Kraupp, Bettina
AU - Hogstrand, Christer
AU - Hoogenboom, Laurentius (Ron)
AU - Leblanc, Jean Charles
AU - Nebbia, Carlo Stefano
AU - Nielsen, Elsa
AU - Ntzani, Evangelia E.
AU - Petersen, Annette
AU - Sand, Salomon
AU - Vleminckx, Christiane
AU - Wallace, Heather
AU - Barregård, Lars
AU - Ceccatelli, Sandra
AU - Cravedi, Jean-Pierre
AU - Halldorsson, Thorhallur Ingi
AU - Haug, Line Småstuen
AU - Johansson, Niklas
AU - Knutsen, Helle Katrine
AU - Rose, Martin
AU - Roudot, Alain-Claude
AU - van Loveren, Henk
AU - Vollmer, Günter
AU - Mackay, Karen
AU - Riolo, Francesca
AU - Schwerdtle, Tanja
N1 - Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the following for their support provided to this scientific output as Hearing experts: Klaus Abraham, Esben Budtz-Jørgensen, Tony Fletcher, Philippe Grandjean, Hans Mielke and Hans Rumke and EFSA staff members: Davide Arcella, Marco Binaglia, Petra Gergelova, Elena Rovesti and Marijke Schutte. The Panel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions, Member State bodies and other organisations that provided data for this scientific output. The Panel would also like to thank the following authors and co-authors for providing additional information in relation to their respective studies: Berit Granum, Margie M Peden-Adams, Thomas Webster.
PY - 2020/9/17
Y1 - 2020/9/17
N2 - The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific evaluation on the risks to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food. Based on several similar effects in animals, toxicokinetics and observed concentrations in human blood, the CONTAM Panel decided to perform the assessment for the sum of four PFASs: PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS. These made up half of the lower bound (LB) exposure to those PFASs with available occurrence data, the remaining contribution being primarily from PFASs with short half-lives. Equal potencies were assumed for the four PFASs included in the assessment. The mean LB exposure in adolescents and adult age groups ranged from 3 to 22, the 95th percentile from 9 to 70 ng/kg body weight (bw) per week. Toddlers and ‘other children’ showed a twofold higher exposure. Upper bound exposure was 4- to 49-fold higher than LB levels, but the latter were considered more reliable. ‘Fish meat’, ‘Fruit and fruit products’ and ‘Eggs and egg products’ contributed most to the exposure. Based on available studies in animals and humans, effects on the immune system were considered the most critical for the risk assessment. From a human study, a lowest BMDL10 of 17.5 ng/mL for the sum of the four PFASs in serum was identified for 1-year-old children. Using PBPK modelling, this serum level of 17.5 ng/mL in children was estimated to correspond to long-term maternal exposure of 0.63 ng/kg bw per day. Since accumulation over time is important, a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 ng/kg bw per week was established. This TWI also protects against other potential adverse effects observed in humans. Based on the estimated LB exposure, but also reported serum levels, the CONTAM Panel concluded that parts of the European population exceed this TWI, which is of concern.
AB - The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific evaluation on the risks to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food. Based on several similar effects in animals, toxicokinetics and observed concentrations in human blood, the CONTAM Panel decided to perform the assessment for the sum of four PFASs: PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS. These made up half of the lower bound (LB) exposure to those PFASs with available occurrence data, the remaining contribution being primarily from PFASs with short half-lives. Equal potencies were assumed for the four PFASs included in the assessment. The mean LB exposure in adolescents and adult age groups ranged from 3 to 22, the 95th percentile from 9 to 70 ng/kg body weight (bw) per week. Toddlers and ‘other children’ showed a twofold higher exposure. Upper bound exposure was 4- to 49-fold higher than LB levels, but the latter were considered more reliable. ‘Fish meat’, ‘Fruit and fruit products’ and ‘Eggs and egg products’ contributed most to the exposure. Based on available studies in animals and humans, effects on the immune system were considered the most critical for the risk assessment. From a human study, a lowest BMDL10 of 17.5 ng/mL for the sum of the four PFASs in serum was identified for 1-year-old children. Using PBPK modelling, this serum level of 17.5 ng/mL in children was estimated to correspond to long-term maternal exposure of 0.63 ng/kg bw per day. Since accumulation over time is important, a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 ng/kg bw per week was established. This TWI also protects against other potential adverse effects observed in humans. Based on the estimated LB exposure, but also reported serum levels, the CONTAM Panel concluded that parts of the European population exceed this TWI, which is of concern.
KW - PFAS
KW - food
KW - exposure
KW - mixtures
KW - immune system
KW - PBPK
KW - risk assessment
U2 - 10.2903/sp.efsa.2020.EN-1931
DO - 10.2903/sp.efsa.2020.EN-1931
M3 - Article
VL - 18
JO - EFSA Journal
JF - EFSA Journal
SN - 1831-4732
IS - 9
M1 - e06223
ER -
