Health agency recommends not to consume ‘contaminated’ eggs from domestic henhouses in Paris

RESIDENTS in the Ile-de-France region have been advised by the regional health agency (ARS) not to consume eggs produced in henhouses in the region. 

In a statement released this Monday, November 20, ARS confirmed that a definitive study had been carried out on 25 domestic chicken coops in the Île-de-France region.

The results revealed that : ‘A generalised contamination of soils and eggs of domestically farmed hens in Paris and in the departments of the inner suburbs by persistent organic pollutants (dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)’, was found.

It added that the recommendation applied to the entire population of some 410 municipalities in the Paris metropolitan area.

Can consuming these eggs harm a person’s health?

According to the ARS, regular consumption, – i.e. several times a week and for several years – of self-produced eggs from private henhouses subjected consumers to overexposure to pollutants when compared to the general population and therefore exposed them to an increased risk of developing effects on their health.

These pollutants have in particular: ‘a potential endocrine disrupting effect which can initiate chronic diseases and act on the development of reproductive and immune functions’, the statement continued.

However, the consumption of self-produced eggs less than once a week remained possible it added, but this was not particularly not recommended for children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.