PFAS in our backyard eggs

After I received the news of high PFAS values in my blood, I set out to find the root causes. Since PFAS can be in any of the dozens of food items we take in, this becomes an exercise in prioritization and hypothesis testing.

As a starting point I wanted to test our backyard eggs, since it’s clear from recent scary news in the Netherlands that eggs are a major risk factor for PFAS.

Because there were no PFAS egg testing services available in the US (until we launched this here at Rocky Mountain Clean Scores), I had our eggs tested in the Netherlands with 2 different services that popped up in the past few years as the media frenzy about PFAS in backyard eggs got underway. (Yes, apparently it’s possible to bring eggs in your carry-on on a plane). Once we started a partnership with a US based lab we also tested our eggs locally. 

All in all we did 3 separate tests. Interestingly there was quite a bit of variation between the numerical values of the results, but directionally all 3 tests showed high to extremely high levels of PFOS in our eggs (varying from 1 ng/g to 32 ng/g). Other PFAS types like PFDA and  PFUnA were detected at lower levels, below the norms. So in short, PFOS seems to be the main contaminant in our eggs. 

My hunch is that there is some actual variation in eggs over time, as chickens' diets vary from week to week, but there are likely also some measurement errors introduced during the complex lab testing process. 

Next we tested the key inputs to our chickens: water, soil and feed. The results suggest that we can trace back the PFAS in my blood, to our eggs and the inputs to the chickens: Our soil and water have elevated PFOS levels (1.7 and 1.2 ug/kg respectively), while the feed we tested (scratch & peck) was clean with no PFAS detected. We also tested water from our reverse osmosis filter and it was clean, as expected. 

Now that we have data it is time for action! We are building an elevated base for our chicken coop. We will fill it with new soil so our ladies can safely forage. Obviously we will test the new soil to make sure it’s clean. And we will start providing the chickens with reverse osmosis filtered water. Yes, our ladies are feathered VIPs!

Once we are confident that the inputs to our chickens are PFAS free, we will test the eggs periodically, likely once a month, while also continuing to test soil, water and feed. Based on initial research we expect the PFAS (and specifically PFOS) values in the eggs to drop to acceptable levels in about 3 months. This is of course an assumption we are going to test and report on. 

I can’t wait to start eating our own backyard eggs again, but I will have to be a little patient. 

If you are concerned about PFAS in your backyard chickens please get in touch or order one of our tests.