March 25, 2025 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added eight Chinese clam exporters to a recent import alert due to contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The FDA said that products from the eight manufacturers and processors had “detected elevated levels of PFAS, notably perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in samples of clams.”
December 20, 2024 — The FDA refused entry of three shipments of canned clams into the U.S. after finding high concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a type of polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS).
According to testing from the FDA, canned clams from Tri-Union/Chicken of the Sea, Crown Prince, and Kawasho Foods’ Geisha brand showed high levels of PFOA. In FDA testing of 12 processed clam samples in September and October, it found the three highest concentrations of PFOA were 6.02 parts per billion (ppb) in the sample of Geisha clams, 6.59 ppb in Crown Prince clams, and 25.2 ppb in Tri-Union/Chicken of the Sea clams.
November 21, 2024 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking the seafood industry, academia, and other relevant parties for more information on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in seafood.
“This request is part of our continued work to increase our understanding of the potential for PFAS exposure from seafood and to reduce dietary exposure to PFAS that may pose a health concern,” the FDA said in a recent update.
April 16, 2024 — A study from Dartmouth found that higher consumption of seafood is linked to a higher risk of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure. While the study looked specifically at people in New Hampshire, New Englanders are likely at higher risk because a legacy of PFAS pollution exists alongside a cultural preference for fish.
Researchers analyzed PFAS concentrations in fresh seafood with a statewide survey of eating habits in New Hampshire. National nutrition surveys have found that New Hampshire and all of New England are among the top consumers of seafood nationally, making New Hampshire ideal for researchers to learn more about the extent of people’s exposure to PFAS through fish and shellfish in saltwater.
“Basically, New Hampshire is a kind of case study that quantifies seafood consumption, particularly in a New England state, in order to estimate the potential risk of PFAS exposure that may come from very frequently consuming marine seafood,” Megan Romano, corresponding author and associate professor of epidemiology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, said.
She said the findings, published in the journal Exposure and Health, make a case for setting PFAS limits on seafood, not to stop eating seafood.
March 27, 2024 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not currently detain imported seafood products contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can cause damage to human immune systems.
However, on 19 March, it released a document to guide the industry through a crackdown on PFAS that will likely lead to import alerts and detentions in the near future.
June 1, 2023 — Out of 186 samples recently tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were discovered in two cod samples, two shrimp samples, one sample of tilapia, and one sample of salmon.
PFAS – so-called “forever chemicals” that don’t degrade and that are known to cause a variety of health issues if ingested – have become an increasingly concerning issue for seafood purveyors.
Read the full article at SeafoodSource
March 30, 2023 — In July 2022, the seafood industry got its first taste of what increasing consumer and regulatory attention on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals could deliver after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found detectable levels of the chemicals in 3.75-ounce cans of Bumble Bee Smoked Clams.
As a result of the testing, Bumble Bee and then Crown Prince were forced to issue recalls. That caught the attention of Sea Watch International Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Guy Simmons.
October 7, 2022 — Wildlife agencies in the U.S. are finding elevated levels of a class of toxic chemicals in game animals such as deer – and that’s prompting health advisories in some places where hunting and fishing are ways of life and key pieces of the economy.
Authorities have detected the high levels of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in deer in several states, including Michigan and Maine, where legions of hunters seek to bag a buck every fall. Sometimes called “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment, PFAS are industrial compounds used in numerous products, such as nonstick cookware and clothing.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched an effort last year to limit pollution from the chemicals, which are linked to health problems including cancer and low birth weight.
But discovery of the chemicals in wild animals hunted for sport and food represents a new challenge that some states have started to confront by issuing “do not eat” advisories for deer and fish and expanding testing for PFAS in them.
“The fact there is an additional threat to the wildlife – the game that people are going out to hunt and fish – is a threat to those industries, and how people think about hunting and fishing,” said Jennifer Hill, associate director of the Great Lakes Regional Center for the National Wildlife Federation.
PFAS chemicals are an increasing focus of public health and environmental agencies, in part because they don’t degrade or do so slowly in the environment and can remain in a person’s bloodstream for life.
The chemicals get into the environment through production of consumer goods and waste. They also have been used in firefighting foam and in agriculture. PFAS-tainted sewage sludge has long been applied to fields as fertilizer and compost.
August 26, 2021 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first survey of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in processed foods has found levels of the chemicals in certain seafood items. But the agency said it is not concerned about the discovery.
PFAS are found in numerous consumer and industrial products, and are used due to their resistance to grease, oil, water, and heat, the FDA said in a press release. PFAs have been nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they take thousands of years to degrade and because they can accumulate in people’s bodies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists increased cancer risks; disturbances to the immune system; higher rates of thyroid disease and liver problems, interference with a woman’s chance of getting pregnant; and disruptions to the normal growth, learning, and behavior of infants and children as some of the effects of exposure to PFAs.
July 6, 2021 — The levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fish do not represent a human health concern, according to a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration report.
PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally, were created as a solution to waterproof and grease-proof surfaces. They are still in use in a number of consumer goods and have been found to be contaminating water supplies across the United States. Medical studies have linked PFAS build-up in humans to cancer, liver and kidney harm, damage to human reproductive and immune systems, and other diseases, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.