Public health institute RIVM has recommended that no-one eat eggs from hens kept at petting zoos or in yards and back gardens because they could be polluted with PFAS, a group of cancer-causing chemicals.

RIVM scientists assessed the PFAS content in eggs from 60 different locations across the country and found that eggs from 31 of them contained so much PFAS that eating less than one egg a week would exceed official limits. At a further 10 locations, people could eat at most one egg per week without exceeding the limit.

“Exposure to PFAS through food and drinking water is already high,” the RIVM said. “The amounts that people ingest by eating home-produced eggs come on top of this.”

The RIVM research echoes findings by broadcaster NOS last year, which said PFAS in eggs had been found in more places than Dordrecht, where concerns were first raised.

Chemicals company Chemours, which uses PFAS in its production processes, was initially thought to be the source of the contamination, but this was later found not to be the case.

The RIVM report does not suggest a source for the pollution, and the agency said that is the subject of other research due for completion in the second half of this year.

One source is likely to be the worms that hens eat. Research by Arcadis last year looked at various potential sources of PFAS in home-produced eggs from the region around Chemours, including chicken feed, water, soil, bedding, mealworms, vitamins, medications, and earthworms.

While the study showed that earthworms might be a significant source of PFAS in the home-produced eggs, the authors said it is unclear whether this was the only source.

Eggs produced commercially can be eaten because they contain less PFAS and are constantly monitored by the food safety board NVWA.

Nationwide problem

Cleaning up PFAS pollution in the Netherlands is set to cost billions of euros, given the “forever chemicals” could be present in up to 1,000 locations, the Financieele Dagblad reported in January.

The estimates, based on research by the newspaper and investigative journalism team Investico, highlight the scale of the task facing national and local governments in tackling the PFAS problem.

PFAS is a collective term for approximately 4,000 chemicals that do not degrade in the environment. For instance, PFAS are used in non-stick pan coatings and to make waterproof clothing.

The first 28 clean-up projects have a price tag of almost €70 million, including an old factory site in Enschede and the former Soesterberg army base, which alone is set to cost €22 million. Much of the cost will fall to the government as the companies responsible either no longer exist or have gone bankrupt.