While eating lobster, shrimp, tuna and other types of seafood can be good for boosting your omega-3 levels, eating them too often can increase your risk of exposure to a group of industrial chemicals known as Per and called polyfluorochemicals (PFAS). Also known as “forever chemicals,” according to one study.

Experts at Britain’s Dartmouth College noted that guidelines for safe seafood consumption exist for mercury and other contaminants, but not for PFAS. The research underscores the need for more stringent public health guidelines that establish the amount of seafood people can safely eat.

“Our recommendation is not to eat seafood — seafood is a great source of lean protein and omega fatty acids. But it’s also a potentially underestimated source of PFAS exposure in humans,” Megan Romano, said corresponding author and associate professor of epidemiology. at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in the United Kingdom.

“Understanding this risk-benefit trade-off for seafood consumption is important for those making dietary decisions, especially for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children,” Romano said. said

In the study, the team measured levels of 26 types of PFAS in samples of the most commonly consumed marine species: cod, haddock, lobster, salmon, scallops, shrimp and tuna.

The results, published in the journal Exposure and Health, showed that shrimp and lobster had the highest concentrations, averaging 1.74 and 3.30 nanograms per gram of flesh, respectively, for certain PFAS compounds.

PFAS, which break down very slowly over time and can persist in the environment for thousands of years, are potentially harmful to people, wildlife and the environment.

Studies show that their exposure increases the risk of cancer, fetal abnormalities, high cholesterol, and thyroid, liver, and reproductive disorders.

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