The Hill: “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that chemicals linked to cancer are showing up in milk, meat, produce and even store-made chocolate cakes sold in the U.S., according to an agency study that has not yet been made public. Aspects of the study, presented last week at a scientific conference in Helsinki found the class of chemicals, abbreviated as PFAS, present in a number of other food products. PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of the time it takes them to break down. The FDA said it plans to publicly release the findings after details of the study were leaked to The Hill and other U.S. media outlets by environmental groups. “I’m not sure why they released it there and not in the U.S., but I’m just glad it’s out,” said Tom Neltner, chemicals policy director with the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the groups that released the information.

The FDA confirmed the contents of the leaked report. The chemicals in question are used in a staggering number of products including food packaging. Some states have banned packaging that’s made with the chemicals, citing research that shows they can transfer to food items. PFAS has been linked with kidney and thyroid cancer along with high cholesterol and other illnesses. The FDA’s research showed that water contaminated with PFAS likely ends up in the food supply. Fourteen of 91 samples taken by the agency contained the chemicals, while almost half of all meat and seafood samples tested positive. PFAS has been found in the water supply near military bases, airports that often use firefighting foam and factories that manufacture products with PFAS…”