Subgroup of ‘Safer’ PFAS in Packaging Contaminates Food and Drinks, Study Says

A newly published study has found that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) added to packaging can migrate into food and drinks. The study noted this phenomenon occurring with subgroups of PFAS considered safer than previous PFAS additives.

PFAS are a group of chemicals added to many products, from outdoor gear to carpeting, for their waterproof, non-stick, and/or stain-resistant qualities. In food packaging, PFAS help prevent grease or liquids from soaking into the packaging, especially as more businesses switch to compostable packaging options.

But the study noted that the use of substances to achieve grease- and liquid-repelling food packaging can still migrate into food, even after switching from PFOS precursors to subgroups of PFAS that have been regarded as safer alternatives. According to the study, these PFAS polymers may be less mobile and bioaccessible than nonpolymeric PFAS, but they still contain the same impurities and can break down into more harmful substances, like 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH), that can then make their way into the food.

In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary phasing out of food packaging containing 6:2 FTOH following a scientific review and concerns about the potential impact on human health.

Further, a 2021 report from The Guardian showed that chemical companies were calling 6:2 FTOH a safer PFAS compound, while withholding company studies that found toxicity in the livers and kidneys of rats related to 6:2 FTOH exposure as well as data showing this compound remains in animals’ bodies for longer than they had first thought.

According to the Center for Environmental Health, there are several potential health concerns of 6:2 FTOH, although more research is needed on the compound and its impacts on humans. Human livers may not be as efficient as rat livers at removing this chemical from the body, and the compound has been found to impact reproductive hormone functioning in fish. The compound can cause growth in breast cancer cells, and it can damage the liver, pancreas and teeth. It may be especially harmful to pregnant people and children.

Yet the latest study noted that even if 6:2 FTOH isn’t used in food packaging, manufacturers may add a subgroup, fluoropolymers, which are said to not migrate into food because of their larger size. But the fluoropolymers may contain 6:2 FTOH that can break off and migrate into the food.

In the study, researchers found PFAS (including FTOHs) in about half of the 42 samples of fast food packaging. Eight of the samples — three molded fiber bowls and five paper bags — that contained the highest amounts of PFAS were then kept in the dark at room temperature for two years. The researchers tested again, finding up to an 85% drop in PFAS levels. This revealed that the PFAS compounds were breaking off.

But these chemicals may break off at even faster rates depending on the packaging material, the food, temperature and other factors.

“You don’t need a whole lot of release to increase the levels of PFAS in food, or to be introduced into the home or environment,” Miriam Diamond, co-author of the study, told The Guardian. “This shows how mobile the chemicals are.”

The authors noted that using PFAS in food packaging raises concerns, especially as PFAS, which are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment, are added to otherwise compostable products.

“The use of PFAS in plant fiber-based food packaging (e.g., molded cardboard bowls) could be seen as a regrettable substitution for single-use plastic because of the hazard posed by the use of PFAS,” the study concluded.