A study carried out by the EPFL Central Environmental Laboratory and the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO), in collaboration with Agroscope, is sounding the alarm. She analyzed samples of raw milk from 17 different Swiss farms. Published in the journal “Food Chemistry X”, the results reveal the presence of four chemical contaminants linked to rubber. At least one of them was detected in 7 of the 17 samples tested.
Contamination from roads and milking infrastructure
These substances mainly come from two sources. Firstly, the wear of tires on neighboring roads, the particles of which reach agricultural land. And, more surprisingly, pollution also comes from within: rubber hoses and seals release additives via a process called “migration” upon contact with milk. This phenomenon is accentuated by the aging of the equipment, specifies the study.
Researchers are concerned about the presence, among the 14 substances identified in this equipment, although approved for food contact, of molecules such as 6PPD-quinone. Although the concentration levels detected remain low, the consequences on human health remain to be determined. “This work constituted a preliminary study, and we must assess the real risks associated with these results,” said Florian Breider, director of the Central Environmental Laboratory at EPFL, in a press release.
