People in the Netherlands should stop eating backyard-produced eggs due to contamination from PFAS or forever chemicals, a Dutch government agency announced Tuesday.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) warned that non-commercial eggs — i.e. eggs produced by privately owned chickens rather than bought from shops or markets — may contain high levels of PFAS, shown by new research at 60 different locations.
PFAS are a group of commonly used chemicals that have been linked to a range of health problems including cancer. They are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down naturally.
RIVM is an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, which provides independent research and advice to the government.
People in the Netherlands “already ingest a lot of PFAS through other foods and partly through drinking water,” said the agency in a press release. By no longer eating backyard eggs, a “much higher PFAS intake can be avoided.”
Commercial eggs from a shop or from the market still can be eaten.
RIVM is conducting follow-up research into how the PFAS are getting into the eggs. It suggested that earthworms may be the cause, as they are eaten by chickens.
The European Chemicals Agency is currently working on a proposal — first spearheaded by the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway — to phase out thousands of PFAS, used in everything from food contact materials and textiles to electronics and construction products.
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