PFAS Guidance document on PFAS analysis version 1.2 including annex now available!
2 years ago
This document on analytical parameters for the determination of selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food and feed was developed within the network of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for halogenated POPs in Feed and Food, the respective National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) of EU member states and international experts in the field of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) analysis.The guidance in this document is intended for laboratories involved in the official control of contaminants in food and feed and focuses on the determination of these substances in the laboratory. It is intended as general guidance for laboratories and particularly for those that do not have an existing method. It provides useful key elements in a set of analytical parameters contributing to further harmonization in the field of PFAS analysis in food and feed as part of the EURL’s official mandate and scope of work.
The recommendations contained within this guidance document apply to PFAS, in particular to PFCA and perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSA), PFOSA, and selected substitutes in food and feed matrices. The recommendations may also be applied to other PFAS. The recommendations are designed to allow the monitoring of PFAS concentrations in food and feed as part of studies on:
- the establishment of current maximum levels of these contaminants,
- the establishment or maintenance of databases that may be used to recommend action levels and maximum levels,
- the exposure assessment of populations through dietary intake and assessment of risk,
- enforcement (once limits are established).
Other purposes could include studies on time trends and patterns in order to identify the source(s) of possible contamination particularly during incidents involving such contamination.