Experts warn over cancer-causing chemicals hidden in popular BEERS
Worryingly, beer fans could be drinking down PFAS whether the beverage is fresh from the tap, a glass bottle or a can.
PFAS - or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances - have been dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they are designed not to break down in the environment.
Studies have linked PFAS to infertility, behavioral problems, birth defects, high cholesterol levels and even various cancers, including kidney, testicular and ovarian.
'Nearly every American has PFAS in their blood,' say the researchers from RTI International research institute in North Carolina.
'We set out to understand whether popular craft beers as well as national and international beers may also be a contributor to total PFAS exposure for beer drinkers.'
The team believes PFAS chemicals are entering the beer from local contaminated water supplies used during the brewing process.
Water is the most abundant and important ingredient of the four main ingredients in beer (the others being hops, yeast and grain).
Although breweries typically have water filtration and treatment systems, they are not designed to remove PFAS, the team warn.
But extra PFAS sources could include brewing ingredients (such as grains, hops and spices), packaging or storing materials (storage tanks and cans), and cleaning supplies.
For example, packaging vessels such as bottles, cans, and kegs may also be washed with water or contain liners that could also introduce PFAS.
For the study, the researchers tested 23 lagers and ales - mostly from from the U.S., but also two from Mexico and one from the Netherlands.
The U.S. beer came from eight states - North Carolina, Michigan, Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri.
Their selection comprised 'primarily plain lagers and ales' produced by U.S. brewers in areas with documented water system contamination, plus popular domestic and international beers from larger companies with unknown water sources.
Wat-er shock! Maps showing county-averaged PFAS concentrations from state-reported drinking water systems in (A) California, (B) Michigan, and (C) North Carolina, along with averaged PFAS concentrations in beers at brewing locations
Overall, the researchers found PFAS in 95 per cent of the beers they tested, including perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
Shockingly, these two types of PFAS were found in quantities above recently established limits in drinking water set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Beers from smaller breweries had a higher likelihood of PFAS presence compared to larger-scale U.S. or international beers.
The largest number of PFAS compounds were detected in beer from Chatham County and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina (both areas with PFAS in municipal drinking water), and a beer from St Louis County, Missouri.
Beers from North Carolina exhibited higher PFAS 'species variety' - meaning a wider variety of different types of PFAS - compared to Michigan and California.
Unsurprisingly, parts of the country with known PFAS-contaminated water sources showed the highest levels of the 'forever chemicals'.
The results, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, suggest there's an urgent need for water treatment upgrades at brewing facilities.
Researchers also call for greater awareness among brewers, consumers and regulators to limit overall PFAS exposure, as well as more research into PFAS in beers brewed further around the world, including brewing giants such as China, Japan, Brazil, Germany and the UK.
Beer fans, meanwhile, should choose beers from breweries without PFAS in municipal drinking water, or that conduct testing and use water filtration that removes PFAS.
'Water utilities can enhance water treatment processes to remove PFAS contaminants before distribution, and breweries can test or filter their brewing water,' the team add.
PFAS were first developed in the 1940s and are widely used in industry as well as in consumer products such as non-stick cookware, water and stain-repellent coatings, food packaging, carpeting, firefighting foam and cosmetics.
Their molecular structure is based on a linked chain of carbon atoms with one or more fluorine atoms attached, and the extreme stability of those carbon-fluorine bonds make PFAS highly resistant to being broken down.
This durability causes PFAS to persist and accumulate in the environment as well as in the bodies of humans and animals for years.
Many PFAS have molecular structures that resemble those of naturally occurring fatty acids, resulting in them having similar chemical properties and effects on the human body.
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