Occurrence of PFAS in Cow’s Milk: A Comparative Study of Swedish Farms near Contaminated Sites and Regional Dairy Production Facilities

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent
pollutants
that raise food safety concerns, especially near contamination hotspots.
This study measured 9 PFAS in milk and 15 PFAS in water from 22 Swedish
dairy farms <10 km from contamination hotspots and 49 PFAS in milk
from 20 regional production facilities. PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA were
quantified in 5–77% of milk from dairy farms, with maximum
levels of 18, 17, and 10 pg/g milk ww, respectively; the remaining
PFAS were below method detection limits (MDL). All PFAS were <
MDL at production facilities. One dairy farm milk sample exceeded
EU’s indicative level for PFOA (10 pg/g), but levels in production
facilities suggest limited consumer exposure. No correlation was found
between PFAS in farm water and milk, implying other exposure routes
may dominate when water contamination is low. While results indicate
limited health risks, contamination in other milk-producing regions
cannot be ruled out, supporting the need for continued PFAS monitoring
in dairy production.

全氟和多氟烷基物质（Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS）是一类持久性污染物，易引发食品安全隐患，在污染热点区域附近尤为突出。本研究针对22家距污染热点区域不足10公里的瑞典奶牛场，检测了其牛奶中的9种PFAS与水体中的15种PFAS；同时对20家区域生产设施的牛奶开展了49种PFAS的检测。结果显示，全氟辛酸（PFOA）、全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）与全氟壬酸（PFNA）在5%~77%的奶牛场牛奶样本中被定量检出，最大含量分别为18、17、10 pg/g（乳湿重）；其余PFAS的含量均低于方法检出限（MDL）。在区域生产设施的所有牛奶样本中，各类PFAS含量均低于方法检出限。有1份奶牛场牛奶样本超出了欧盟针对PFOA设定的指示性限值（10 pg/g），但区域生产设施中的PFAS水平表明消费者的暴露量较为有限。研究未发现奶牛场水体与牛奶中的PFAS含量存在相关性，这意味着当水体污染程度较低时，其他暴露途径可能成为PFAS暴露的主导因素。尽管本研究结果提示健康风险有限，但无法排除其他产奶区域存在PFAS污染的可能，这凸显了持续开展乳制品生产中PFAS监测工作的必要性。