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PERFOOD - Perfluorinated Compounds in our diet
Project
Project code: BfR-PRS-08-1342-464
Contract period: 01.08.2009
- 31.07.2012
Purpose of research: Applied research
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have high thermal and chemical stability and are mainly used in the textile industry for the manufacturing of breathable clothing and in the paper in-dustry to manufacture dirt, fat and water-repellent paper. Because of their specific chemical properties PFCs are classified as long-lived organic contaminants. They are ubiquitous in the environment across the globe. PFCs are toxic for man and animal; they accumulate in the body and in organ tissue and are only excreted slowly. Detection methods that permit reliable statements about overall exposure to PFCs have only been developed in recent years. These compounds mainly reach the environment through the input pathways of industry and municipal sewage treatment plants. A three-year research project supported by the EU with 10 partners from 7 countries aims to characterise the main migration pathways of PFCs to food and the resulting consumer exposure more accurately. BfR is involved in the examina-tion of food packaging and in the calculation of overall consumer exposure to PFCs.
Section overview
Subjects
- Biotechnology