Hold My Beer

Abstract

Beer has been a popular beverage for millennia, historically considered safer to drink than water due to boiling and fermentation processes during brewing neutralizing harmful pathogens. Because water is a major element of beer and the brewing process (~95%), we postulated that PFAS presence and variability in drinking water systems contribute to cumulative PFAS exposure for beer
drinkers. This was the first study to adapt EPA Method 533 to measure PFAS in 23 commercially available packs of beer from various regions, brewery types, and water sources across NC and beyond. PFAS were detected in 95% of the beer samples tested, particularly from smaller scale breweries located near drinking water sources with known PFAS contamination. Perfluorosulfonic acids, particularly PFOS, were most frequently detected, and PFOA or PFOS were above U.S. EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Limits in several beers. There were correlations between total PFAS, PFOA, and PFBS concentrations in county-averaged municipal drinking water and beers matched by brewing location. Low, medium, and high beer drinking scenarios were compared against non-cancer and cancer benchmarks, which show that one beer daily from an area with PFAS-contaminated drinking water could pose non-cancer health risks from PFOA, with higher consumption scenarios also posing non-cancer risks from PFOS. With many U.S. breweries located in areas with PFAS in municipal drinking water, our findings connect PFAS in beer to the brewery water source and highlight potential health risks from frequent consumption. This work is intended
to support data-driven policies on PFAS in beverages, provide insights for brewers and water utilities on water treatment needs, and enable informed decision-making for beer consumers.