High Seafood Diet Linked to Increased Exposure to 'Forever Chemicals,' Study Shows
Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
New research suggests eating high amounts of seafood could increase exposure to harmful PFAS, or “forever chemicals.”
Shrimp and lobster found at a New Hampshire market contained excessive PFAS levels, according to the study.
Experts recommend not cutting out seafood entirely but instead being mindful of PFAS levels when choosing which items to eat.
Seafood lovers, beware: A new study suggests that regularly eating certain marine species may increase the risk of exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.”
For the study published April 12 in the journal Exposure and Health, researchers examined the seafood consumption habits of more than 1,800 Portsmouth, New Hampshire residents, as well as the PFAS levels in a variety of seafood items found at a market there. They discovered the presence of PFAS in a range of products, with shrimp and lobster having the highest concentrations.
PFAS are manufactured chemicals used in everything from clothing to electrical wiring insulation. They don’t fully break down and therefore end up in the air and bodies of water, contaminating our food and beverages. Scientists have linked the chemicals with several human health effects, including growth and development disruptions, liver injury, and an increased risk of certain cancers.
“We hope that this brings attention to the fact that seafood consumption could be an important route of PFAS exposure for high seafood consumers,” Celia Y. Chen, PhD, study coauthor and research professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College, told Health. “We do hope that this study will spur others to look more closely at this issue in their states and regions.”
Seafood Habits and PFAS Exposure
Previous research has shown dangerous levels of PFAS in freshwater fish, but Megan Romano, PhD, study coauthor and associate professor of epidemiology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, told Health that her team was surprised to discover that researchers hadn’t investigated PFAS in marine seafood as widely.
“This struck us as odd because most of the fish and shellfish that people eat tend to come from the sea rather than freshwater,” she said. “We recognized that in order to understand how much PFAS people may be exposed to when eating marine seafood, we needed to ask three key questions: How much seafood do people eat? What kinds of seafood do people eat? How much PFAS is present in the types of seafood that people eat?”
To answer the questions, the team surveyed the seafood consumption habits of 1,829 Portsmouth adults and children aged two to 11. They also measured levels of 26 types of PFAS found in fresh cod, haddock, lobster, salmon, scallops, shrimp, and tuna. The seafood originated in various regions and ended up in a Portsmouth market.
Researchers found that Portsmouth residents tended to be high consumers of seafood. Of the adults surveyed, 95% reported eating seafood within the last year.
Men in the state reported eating a little over an ounce of seafood daily, while women consumed just below an ounce. These amounts are 1.5 times the national average for both men and women, per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Children consumed around 0.2 ounces, the highest end of the national range.
Shrimp, haddock, salmon, and canned tuna were the most commonly consumed items.
The scientists also discovered that basket shrimp and lobster had the highest average PFAS concentrations—as high as 1.74 and 3.30 nanograms per gram of flesh, respectively. Concentrations in other products analyzed generally measured less than one nanogram per gram.
“Our findings suggest that for very frequent seafood consumers, there may be a risk of excessive PFAS exposure from certain seafood items with shrimp and lobster,” Romano said. “This study suggests that we should be gathering additional data to establish fish consumption advice more broadly.”
The research builds on other studies that have found high PFAS levels in certain seafood species, Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco, told Health. Those studies have examined seafood from coastal waters in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, according to Romano.
The study authors noted, however, that there is still much to learn about the connection between PFAS and seafood, including the interplay of factors that lead to the accumulation of PFAS in the tissues of aquatic animals. Romano said it’s currently believed that an animal’s levels depend on how much PFAS is in the water and sediment where it lives, how it feeds, where it lives in the water column, and whether or not it eats smaller marine life.
Related: A Complete Guide to the Pescatarian Diet
How to Limit Your Exposure to PFAS in Seafood
Experts stress that you don’t have to nix seafood altogether to avoid unsafe PFAS exposure. Instead, simply be mindful when choosing which ones to eat.
“Seafood is an excellent source of lean protein and omega fatty acids, but it may also contain PFAS or mercury, so it is important to be a conscientious consumer,” Romano said. “This is especially important for vulnerable populations, such as pregnant people and young children.”
Opt for species that researchers found to contain lower amounts of PFAS, such as tilapia, recommends Woodruff. Smaller fish like tilapia or sardines generally tend to be lower in contaminants. “Those can be a win-win for consumers,” she said.
It’s also important not to rely too heavily on one seafood option, Romano said. “The key is really to eat a balanced diet that includes a wide variety of healthy foods and protein sources.”
Finally, Chen emphasized the importance of examining your unique eating habits. Then you can investigate how they might contribute to PFAS exposure and make potential changes.
For more Health.com news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Health.com.
