The international trade of fish and seafood products has become a vector for the distribution of the so-called forever chemicals, with Europe acting as the main redistribution center.
This is indicated by a study published in the journal Science, which states that the global fish market increases human exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
These compounds are of concern to the scientific community today because they persist for decades in the environment and the body.
The researchers collected data over 20 years from PFAS measurements in the marine environment and fisheries.
They created a map of the concentrations of these compounds in over 200 species of fish that represent approximately 99% of the global commercial production.
To validate the model, they analyzed the concentrations of PFAS in 150 fish samples from 87 different species in 14 countries.
Fish from Asia and Australia lead contamination by forever chemicals
The results pointed out that fish from Asia, especially from the waters of Saudi Arabia and Thailand, and from the east coast of Australia contain the highest rates of contamination by forever chemicals.
The lowest rates were recorded in seafood from Africa and North America.
The largest species of fish present the highest levels of contamination by forever chemicals.
Additionally, freshwater fish have higher PFAS levels than oceanic ones.
Europe as a redistribution center
The international trade of fish redistributes the risk of exposure to PFAS from areas of high contamination to those of low contamination.
European countries function as the main center for the transport and distribution of forever chemicals.
Europe, North America, and Australia face the highest levels of daily PFAS intake through fish consumption.
Pablo Gago, a scientist at the Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Studies at CSIC (IDAEA-CSIC), emphasized that the results of the study “fit well with previous evidence identifying fish as a relevant source of dietary exposure to PFAS.”
“Additionally, it adds a key element: the international redistribution of risk, with Europe as a central actor in the flows of exposure, even towards countries with relatively low environmental levels of these pollutants,” Gago pointed out in a reaction collected by Science Media Centre Spain.
Fishing regulations that work against forever chemicals
The researchers detected a significant decrease in the global average risk of PFAS exposure following the inclusion of several such substances in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (COP) between 2009 and 2019.
For the authors, this is an important proof that “regulatory measures for these substances work.”
The results highlight the need for:
- Closer international cooperation
- Stricter food safety policies
- Control criteria in international trade
- Broader regulation of PFAS as a group, instead of addressing compounds individually
The public health risks of PFAS
From a public health perspective, the work reinforced the concern about PFAS, compounds that are very persistent, bioaccumulative, and associated in numerous studies with endocrine, immune, metabolic, and developmental alterations.
They are also associated with a higher risk of certain cancers, added Gago.
A limitation of the analysis is that it focused solely on marine fish and did not include other dietary or environmental sources.
Therefore, the total exposure may be underestimated.
