Swap sushi for fish stew: Cooking helps cut PFAS levels in your seafood

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-04-01 11:07

Australia; NSW; QLD

Cooking seafood can help reduce the levels of potentially harmful PFAS chemicals it contains, according to Australian research. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are commonly used in hundreds of consumer products, and they have been linked to harmful health effects such as breast cancer. Animal products, in particular seafood and freshwater fish, are thought to be one of the main ways we are exposed to PFAS chemicals. The researchers reviewed multiple studies and found that on average, cooking reduced PFAS concentrations by 29 per cent - although that figure varied widely depending on things such as cooking time and the amount of liquid the fish was cooked in. The authors say for the best results, fish should be cooked in enough water or oil to cover the fish, and it should be cooked for as long as possible. Fish stew anyone?

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Research Elsevier, Web page

Journal/
conference: Environmental Pollution

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of New South Wales, NSW Government, The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Targeted Research Grant (APP1185002) awarded to Neely, Nakagawa and Hesselson.

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