The rams, reason for a bizarre warning in the Netherlands. Basic food, possibly contaminated
An egg -sided by the local market in Enschede, Oveijssel province, Netherlands, May 17, 2022. Photo: Emiel Muijderman / AFP / Profimedia
People in the Netherlands should no longer eat eggs in the yard because of PFAS contamination (so-called “eternal chemicals”), a Dutch government agency announced on Tuesday, according to Politico.
The National Institute for Public and Environmental Health (RIVM) warned that eggs that are not out of commerce – that is, eggs produced by privately owned and not those bought from local stores or markets – may contain high levels by PFAS, a fact demonstrated by new researches in 60 different locations.
PFAS are a group of commonly used chemicals that have been associated with a number of health problems, including cancer. They are known as “eternal” chemicals because they do not decompose naturally.
RIVM is an agency within the Ministry of Health, Social Protection and Sport in the Netherlands, which offers the Government independent research and consulting.
The people in the Netherlands “already ingest a lot of PFAS through other foods and, in part, through drinking water,” the agency said, in a press release. By renouncing the consumption of yard eggs “a much higher intake of PFAS can be avoided,” Rivm added.
Eggs marketed in stores or authorized markets can still be consumed, according to the agency.
RIVM conducts additional research to find out how PFAS gets in eggs. The Dutch agency has suggested that the rams could be the cause because they are eaten by chickens.
The European Agency for Chemicals is currently working on a proposal – initiated primarily by the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway – of gradual elimination of thousands of PFAS, used in all areas.
Comprising over 4,700 chemicals, the group of perfluoroalchilate substances and polyfluoroalchilate (PFAS) is a group of large -scale synthetic chemicals that, over time, accumulate in the human body and in the environment. They are also called “eternal substances”, being extremely persistent in the environment and human body, and can cause health problems such as liver disorders, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility and cancer problems.
