Netherlands: warning against eating backyard eggs due to PFAS risk

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has issued a general warning not to eat eggs from privately kept chickens. It comes after a study conducted by the institute throughout the country found high concentrations of PFAS in privately produced eggs. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that accumulate in the human body and can have significant long-term effects. According to the RIVM, prolonged exposure to high PFAS levels can increase the risk of cancer and impair the immune and reproductive systems. It can also alter cholesterol levels and damage the liver.
Keeping backyard chickens in gardens or allotments is a hobby in the Netherlands. Their eggs are not subject to official food safety inspections because they are deemed safer than those sold in stores. However, the national investigation by the RIVM found that PFAS levels in backyard eggs are often so high to pose a serious health risk. Only the eggs from a small number of the 60 sites involved in the research showed low PFAS levels. In more than half of the sites, people would already exceed the health-based limit for PFAS exposure by eating fewer than one egg per week. Therefore, the RIVM decided to issue a general warning.
It is still unknown how PFAS enters the food chain of backyard chickens. According to the RIVM, one possible source could be earthworms that absorb the chemicals from contaminated soil and are then eaten by the chickens. The institute is conducting further research to discover the sources of contamination and determine if they can be reduced or prevented.