Seafood Consumption Tied to 'Forever Chemical' Exposure Risk

WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Northeastern U.S. seafood consumers may be exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations that potentially pose a health risk, according to a study published online April 12 in Exposure and Health.

Kathryn A. Crawford, Ph.D., from the Environmental Studies Program at Middlebury College in Vermont, and colleagues surveyed 1,829 New Hampshire residents in June 2021 to determine consumption frequency, portion size, types, and sources of seafood among adults and children (aged 2 to 11 years). Additionally, the researchers purchased the most commonly consumed species from a seafood market in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and quantified 26 PFAS compounds.

The researchers found that estimated daily seafood consumption rates for adults and children were a median 33.9 and 5.0 g/day, respectively, which were somewhat higher than National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimates for the Northeastern United States. Shrimp and lobster, purchased locally, had PFAS detected at median concentrations ranging from below the limit of detection to 1.74 and 3.30 ng/g, respectively.

"Seafood is an important source of nutrition, cultural heritage, and dietary preference for many people across the U.S. and globally, and appropriately assessing PFAS exposure risk from seafood consumption is critical for developing public health messaging that appropriately weighs benefits and risks of consumption," the authors write.

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