"Hóa chất vĩnh cửu" được phát hiện trong các loại bia phổ biến tại Mỹ, vượt quá giới hạn của EPA

 Hóa chất vĩnh cửu" được phát hiện trong các loại bia phổ biến tại Mỹ, vượt quá giới hạn của EPA

Humans love beer: worldwide, we can go through more than 187.9 million kiloliters (49.6 billion gallons) of it in just one year.

But new research adds this beloved beverage to the long list of products found to contain PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), aka 'forever chemicals'.

PFAS earned that nickname because they don't readily break down in the environment. It's estimated that there are around 12,000 different types of forever chemical, and while health effects are mostly unknown, two in particular – PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) – are linked to adverse health outcomes, including increased risks of cancer and birth defects.

A team of scientists from the US nonprofit Research Triangle Institute used methods employed by the Environmental Protection Agency to suss out how PFAS gets into beer, and at what levels.

"As an occasional beer drinker myself, I wondered whether PFAS in water supplies was making its way into our pints," says toxicologist Jennifer Hoponick Redmon.