Episode 44 – Forever chemicals: what are the health risks of PFAS?

Forever chemicals are everywhere – but how worried should we be about them? In this episode, we look at the health risks from PFAS, a large group of chemicals used in everyday products, from non-stick cookware to waterproof clothing and food packaging. Together with EFSA expert Hans Steinkellner, we explore why these substances persist in the environment, how they can end up in our food, and what science tells us about their effects on human health. We also examine the challenges of studying thousands of PFAS compounds and what is being done to reduce risks and better understand their impact.

00:00 - 00:25
Hans Steinkellner
Just to understand that these are really monitored. Member States have an obligation to monitor them, and if they find that the PFAS values are above these maximum levels, these products are removed immediately from the market. This is the way you can assume that this egg here is safe to eat.

00:25 - 00:57
Edward Bray
Hello and welcome to another episode of Science on the Menu. My name is Ed Bray, and today we're going to be talking about PFAS. You might have heard of them as forever chemicals, persistent chemicals that you can find in many of your everyday objects like pizza boxes, your non-stick frying pan, for example. We're going to be talking about why they're there, why they can be harmful to human health and what's being done about it. And here with me to discuss this is our expert, Hans Steinkellner.

00:57 - 00:58
Hans Steinkellner
Thank you.

00:58 - 00:59
Edward Bray
Thanks a lot for joining us.

01:00 - 01:06
Edward Bray
First of all, can you explain to us what is PFAS? What are they?