Switzerland Canton Blocks Sale Of Meat Contaminated By Toxic PFAS Chemicals

A canton in Switzerland has blocked the sale of meat products contaminated with chemicals that are potentially harmful to human health.

St. Gallen, which is located in northeastern Switzerland, found toxic “forever chemicals” named PFAS in some beef products. According to Swiss media outlet RSI, it’s thought that the contamination is a result of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants previously being used as fertilizer on farms. The use of this sludge as fertilizer has been banned since 2006, but the chemicals have been lingering in the soil since then.

Several instances of “high or too high” concentrations of PFAS have been found in farmed cows or source water in St. Gallen. Particular areas of concern are the municipalities of Goldach, Mörschwil, Untereggen, Eggersriet, Altenrhein and St. Margrethen.

The threat of PFAS

A scratched non-stick pan, some of which are contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals" PFAS — Adobe Stock Some non-stick cookware contains PFAS

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to the fact that they don’t break down easily. This means that they persist in the environment and human body.

There’s a lot we don’t know about the longterm impacts of PFAS, but there are growing concerns about their potential health risks. Exposure to PFAS is thought to be linked to cancer and immune system suppression, and there are calls for governments to crackdown on their use.

PFAS are commonly found in non-stick cookware, water-repellent fabrics, and food packaging. A report published earlier this year found that 81 percent of USA sandwich bags contain the chemicals. Another study released in April linked high “seafood” diets to increased risk of PFAS exposure.

In a LinkedIn post discussing the news about PFAS in Swiss meat, Adrian Boelle, plant-based advocate and cofounder of Swiss digital marketing agency Mango Social, said that “we must act now” to enforce stricter regulations on PFAS use. “The consequences of inaction are too great to ignore,” he added.