Testing from the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, or BUND for short) has found PFAS in chicken eggs from across Germany. Eggs from hobby farmers were found to have notably higher levels of PFAS than store-bought eggs.

BUND tested 22 chicken egg samples from across Germany, and found that 14 of them contained PFAS. Four samples were from hobby farmers and were found to be more contaminated than the 18 samples from the supermarket.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of over 10,000 synthetic chemicals that are highly persistent, meaning they take generations to break down in the environment. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked with adverse health impacts, including certain cancers, reduced fertility, and the disruption of the immune system.

This is not the first time PFAS have been found in eggs. In April, a government agency in the Netherlands issued a warning advising people not to eat backyard-produced eggs due to PFAS contamination. The agency is conducting follow up research into how the PFAS get into the eggs. One suggestion is that earthworms eaten by the chickens may be the cause.

CHEM Trust also covered a previous study from 2023, which found that organic eggs in Denmark had higher levels of PFAS than non-organic eggs. The authors suggested the chemicals could have reached the hens through fishmeal, which is routinely used as feed.

BUND recently partnered with the French NGO Générations Futures to evaluate data from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on PFAS levels in food across several European countries. The analysis showed that animal-based foods in particular were contaminated with PFAS. PFAS were found in 69% of fish, 55% of offal, 55% of mussels and 39% of eggs. Of the vegetables sampled, only 7% were found to contain one of the four PFAS tested.

Following these findings, BUND is calling for the restriction of PFAS as a group for all uses, and for the application of the ‘polluter pays principle’ in treating PFAS contamination in soil and water.

To tackle PFAS pollution at the source, CHEM Trust is calling for PFAS to be restricted as a group.

Read more about the universal PFAS restriction here, and the availability of PFAS alternatives.

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