- BUND blood test: PFAS with concentrations that are hazardous to health
- BUND board affected
- Nobody is safe from PFAS contamination
The German Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) examined blood samples for the eternal chemicals PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances). The BUND federal executive board and BUND employees were tested. The results are shocking: Several PFAS chemicals were found in the blood of every test subject. Some concentrations are so high that health effects cannot be ruled out. Today the BUND is launching a petition to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) calling for an EU-wide ban on PFAS.
Some PFAS have been proven to pose a health risk: cancer, organ damage and increased miscarriage rates are documented consequences. The eternal chemicals are accumulating more and more in our bodies and in the environment. Hardly any children are now born without PFAS in their blood.* PFAS are hardly destructible and last forever. During production and disposal, PFAS end up in the air, water and soil. There is no escape from these substances: PFAS are everywhere and are becoming more and more common.
Olaf Bandt, BUND chairman: “PFAS are found in the rain, in the Arctic, on mountains and in the soil. As expected, no one is spared from PFAS contamination – including me. I am shocked by my test results and the concerning levels of PFAS found in my blood. The only way to protect people and the environment is to restrict PFAS across Europe. The federal government and the Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach must work for this.”
Some PFAS have been scientifically proven to be harmful to health even at extremely low concentrations. PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS**), for example, damage the immune system and thyroid function. Only a few PFAS have been sufficiently researched, and we currently know very little about the long-term risks. Only 20 of the more than 10,000 individual PFAS substances are regulated under chemical law. In recent years, the health limits for PFAS have had to be improved several times. New studies have shown health risks at ever lower concentrations. The results of the BUND test are further clear evidence that PFAS must be strictly regulated.
Even the lowest PFAS concentrations can harm health
Bandt: “So far we only see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to PFAS contamination and the health risks. As an individual, it is difficult for me to avoid exposure to PFAS. PFAS are everywhere. They are used for food packaging, cosmetics and dental floss, contact lenses, outdoor clothing, baking paper and for pan coatings, although substitute products and substances are known. The EU must take the precautionary principle seriously and ban the entire group of PFAS substances, with exceptions for essential applications, for example in the medical sector.”
PFAS also pose a particular burden on the environment. They are extremely persistent and also accumulate in organisms (bioaccumulation). Many are so mobile that they spread quickly and into the most remote regions of the world. The concentrations in the environment are therefore constantly increasing.
Bandt: “PFAS find their way into our bodies through water, air and our food. We must not leave an environment saturated with PFAS for our children and future generations. PFAS must be banned now.”
The BUND calls on Health Minister Lauterbach to prevent further damage to the population and to advocate for a restriction on the entire group of perennial chemicals PFAS. The industry, which is responsible for PFAS pollution, wants to avoid responsibility. The government must not legitimize this through its attitude and accept further damage to health.
**Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (anion perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS for short) is a chemical compound from the group of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) and was banned in the EU in 2010.
Background to the BUND blood test PFAS
The members of the BUND board had their blood tested for PFAS. A total of 16 blood samples were taken. For data protection reasons, we do not assign the values to individual people. The results are alarming and consistent with previous studies from European human biomonitoring studies: According to this, everyone has PFAS in their blood.
The BUND blood test examined the blood for 13 PFAS chemicals. Six of these were found: PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFHxS, PFHpS and PFOS. The chemicals PFOS (up to 15 ng/mL) or PFHxS (5.7 ng/mL) had the highest blood-serum concentrations. And this despite the fact that PFOS has been banned in the EU since 2010. PFHxS is a PFOS alternative that has only been largely banned since August 2023 as part of the EU Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (POP Regulation). Other PFASs found, such as PFHpS, continue to be fully approved in the EU. The Human Biomonitoring Commission has determined a limit value of 5 ng/mL in the blood for PFOS. From this point on, there is an increased risk of harmful health effects. This value was exceeded twice in the BUND test with 16 samples. There is still a lack of sufficient toxicological data for the vast majority of PFAS.
We know that some PFAS are chronically toxic even at extremely low concentrations; for example, they damage the immune system and thyroid function. In addition to thyroid disease, consequences of PFAS exposure can include liver damage, reduced birth weight, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, reduced response to routine vaccinations, and an increased risk of breast, kidney, and testicular cancer. There is also increasing evidence of impaired fertility, developmental and behavioral disorders.
More information
Contact
- Luise Körner, head of the chemistry team at BUND, Tel.: 030-27586-510, Email: luise.koerner(at)bund.net
- BUND press office: Sigrid Wolff | Daniel Jahn | Lara Dalbudak
Tel.: +49 30 27586-497 | -531 | -425
presse(at)bund.net
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