“Kassenrutsch”: Harmful PFAS chemicals in freshly caught Swiss fish

The SRF program Kassenrutsch, which was broadcast on Tuesday evening, was about the so-called ‘eternal chemicals’, or PFAS (per- and polyfluoro-alkyl compounds). The ‘Kassen Crash’ team investigated whether and in what quantities the potentially health-damaging chemicals occur in local fish. The answer: almost everywhere and not just in small quantities.

In concrete terms, Kassenrutsch had 17 fish from lakes, rivers and farms tested at various locations in Switzerland for the presence of PFAS. Together with the French-language Swiss consumer magazine “A bon entendeur”, 17 whole fish, caught by professional fishermen, hobby fishermen or from farms, were sent to a specialized laboratory where they were examined for eleven different PFAS types.

The result: “Every fish in the sample exported contains traces of PFAS,” according to the cash register. Of the 17 fish examined, six were “barely polluted”, four “relatively less polluted”, five “relatively heavily polluted” and two fish exceeded the EU maximum value.

The stark differences were noticeable. And: the more remote the places where the fish was caught, the less polluted it was. Toxicologist David Staedler said: “Urban locations with more human influence tend to have more PFAS than remote locations.”

According to the “cash crash”, the pollution of fish from Lake Murten, Lake Zug, the Doubs and Lake Neuchâtel was particularly high. Conversely, the examined whitefish, pike-perch and perch from Lake Zurich, as well as whitefish from Lake Lucerne and salmon trout from Lake Geneva, contained lower levels of PFAS. And: “The laboratory found hardly any PFAS in fish from the Saane, the Lac de Joux and two farms that work with spring water from the Alps,” according to the “Kassenrutsch”.

The toxicologist states: “If you eat fish like this once, you do not run the risk of becoming ill in the coming hours or days.” But the problem is more of a chronic problem. For example, if additional traces of PFAS from other sources were added to regular consumption of contaminated fish, the threshold above which health consequences are possible would still be reached.

(lacquer)