Gut Bacteria Could Help Remove ‘Forever Chemicals' From Body
'This uncovers a new beneficial role of gut bacteria for the human health—to help removing toxic PFAS from our body,' senior study author Kiran Patil, a member of the University of Cambridge's MRC Toxicology Unit, told The Epoch Times.
How Bacteria Work
The Cambridge University study, published in the journal
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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scientists create ultra-repellent non-stick coating for safer cooking at home
Teflon and other PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have long been prized for making cookware, packaging, and fabrics resistant to water and grease. But these 'forever chemicals' don't break down in nature and tend to accumulate in the human body, posing serious health and environmental risks. Now, researchers at the University of Toronto have created a promising alternative that delivers high performance with much lower risk. Their new coating repels water and oil as effectively as standard non-stick materials, but contains only trace amounts of the least harmful PFAS variant. Silicone base with PFAS twist The team used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), commonly known as silicone, as the base for their new material. 'PDMS is often sold under the name silicone, and depending on how it's formulated, it can be very biocompatible — in fact it's often used in devices that are meant to be implanted into the body,' said Professor Kevin Golovin, who leads the Durable Repellent Engineered Advanced Materials (DREAM) Lab. However, PDMS on its own falls short of matching PFAS when it comes to repelling oil and grease. The breakthrough came when PhD student Samuel Au developed a method to enhance the material's performance through what the team calls nanoscale fletching. Nanoscale fletching for repellency 'Unlike typical silicone, we bond short chains of PDMS to a base material — you can think of them like bristles on a brush,' Au explained. To improve their oil-repelling power, the team added the shortest possible PFAS molecule, consisting of a single carbon atom bonded to three fluorine atoms, to the tips of those bristles. 'If you were able to shrink down to the nanometre scale, it would look a bit like the feathers that you see around the back end of an arrow, where it notches to the bow. That's called fletching, so this is nanoscale fletching.' When the researchers tested the coated fabric with oil droplets, the material achieved a grade of 6 on a standard repellency scale used by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. That's on par with many commercial PFAS-based coatings. Low risk, commercial potential 'While we did use a PFAS molecule in this process, it is the shortest possible one and therefore does not bioaccumulate,' said Golovin. 'What we've seen in the literature, and even in the regulations, is that it's the longest-chain PFAS that are getting banned first, with the shorter ones considered much less harmful.' 'Our hybrid material provides the same performance as what had been achieved with long-chain PFAS, but with greatly reduced risk.' The team hopes to collaborate with manufacturers to scale up the process and bring the product to market. Meanwhile, research continues. 'The holy grail of this field would be a substance that outperforms Teflon, but with no PFAS at all,' Golovin said. 'We're not quite there yet, but this is an important step in the right direction.' The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
New tool can remove nearly all of a cancer-causing ‘forever chemical' from water — in just 5 minutes
Your tap water's dirty little secret might have just met its match. Scientists have engineered a high-tech filter that strips toxic 'forever chemicals' from drinking water in a matter of minutes. Better yet, the new tool glows on contact with contamination, serving as both a purifier and an real-time monitoring system. 4 Research suggests the majority of Americans have 'forever chemicals' in their drinking water. sebra – Forever chemicals — officially known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — are tiny, man-made compounds that break down very slowly and accumulate in people, animals and the environment over time. They've been used since the 1940s in everything from non-stick cookware and grease-resistant food packaging to waterproof fabrics and personal care products. But concerns are mounting over the potential health effects of PFAS, with some experts likening them to 'slow poison.' One of the most widely used forever chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), has been linked to higher risks of certain cancers, liver damage, immune system issues, high cholesterol and even developmental delays in fetuses and children. It has been detected across a range of environments and products — from soil and rainfall to seafood, human blood and drinking water. 4 While PFOA was previously used in the manufacturing of non-stock cookware, it has largely been phased out due to concerns about potential health and environmental risks. Dina – In fact, a 2020 study estimated that more than 200 million Americans are drinking water contaminated with PFOA or PFOS, another notorious forever chemical formally known as perfluorooctane sulfonate. Now, researchers at the University of Utah may have found a way to help reduce that exposure. The scientists recently developed a lab-engineered, crystalline substance known as a metal-organic framework (MOF) that functions like a molecular sieve. When water flows through the material, it snags and traps PFOA molecules, effectively removing the forever chemical. 4 The work builds on past research from the team that created a porous material that fluoresces in the presence of PFAS. THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH In lab tests, the MOF cleared out more than 99% of the toxic substance in just five minutes. 'This sort of rapid treatment is crucial for real-world applications,' the study authors wrote in their report. The material also worked in the presence of other PFAS compounds, salts, and natural organic matter found in drinking water supplies, suggesting it could perform well in a variety of real-world environmental conditions. Better yet, the MOF can be reused, with researchers finding it retained 93% of its adsorption efficiency after five wash cycles. That's a big deal, since current methods for removing PFAS are often slow, costly, inefficient and don't hold up well after repeated use. 4 PFAS in drinking water are estimated to contribute to more than 6,800 cancer cases each year. WESTOCK – An added bonus: when PFOA molecules bind to the material, it glows fluorescent — providing instant, on-the-spot confirmation of contamination. 'This MOF represents a major leap forward for PFAS remediation,' Rana Dalapati, the study's lead author, said in a statement. 'Its ability to both selectively capture and sensitively detect PFOA in real time makes it a versatile and practical solution for water treatment and environmental monitoring,' she added. Looking ahead, the team believes this material could one day be adapted to capture other PFAS chemicals, not just PFOA. Wondering if you should be concerned about forever chemicals in your drinking water? The Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database is a good place to start — just enter your ZIP code to see what's in your local supply. While the newly developed MOF may one day offer a powerful solution, it will likely be a while before it's available for public use. In the meantime, if you live in an area with known PFAS contamination, consider getting a water filter. Look for one certified by the National Sanitation Foundation to reduce levels of PFOA and PFOS to help limit your exposure.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
A water contamination scandal has gripped a leafy corner of southern Belgium, causing anxious residents to queue up for blood tests to confirm potential exposure to so-called forever chemicals. On an early summer afternoon about a dozen people waited to get their samples taken at a municipal building in Braine-le-Chateau, a picturesque town in the French-speaking Wallonia region. "Initially local authorities told us that measurements were reassuring, but in reality, they didn't have any and were simply trying to keep people calm as best they could," Douglas, a 35-year-old consultant who preferred only to give his first name, told AFP. "This kind of game has to stop," he said, adding he hoped the blood-sampling campaign launched in June would help shed light on the situation. Anger in the region first erupted in 2023 when an investigation by local broadcaster RTBF revealed the authorities had ignored longstanding warnings about high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals. It emerged that the US military, which has an airbase in the small city of Chievres, had warned the local water company in 2017 about high PFAS levels in drinking water, following an incident involving firefighting foam. The US base advised its personnel to drink bottled water -- but locals were left in the dark for years, even after the regional government was told of the issue in 2018. PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down. Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer. A group of more than 10,000 human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, PFAS are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets, and other products. But their use is increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects. In June an Italian court sentenced executives at a chemical plant to jail terms of up to 17 years for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with the chemicals. - 'Putting out fires' - Water samples in Braine-le-Chateau last year revealed levels five to six times higher than a safety standard of 4 nanograms/litre (ng/L) for four PFAS recently agreed by Belgian authorities. The exact source of the pollution has not yet been confirmed and a judicial investigation is underway. Authorities have since ordered water distribution firms to install activated carbon filters -- a move they say has contained the issue. Large-scale blood testing was carried out in Chievres in early 2024 -- and later extended to nearby areas. Authorities said almost 1,300 people across about 10 municipalities had their blood samples taken to confirm exposure to the chemicals in recent weeks, as part of a fresh campaign launched in June. The results, which could lead to new health recommendations, are expected later this year. Wallonia's government, which took office last summer, has also decided to bring forward to 2025 new European Union rules requiring that drinking water must not exceed a total of 100 ng/L for 20 substances in the PFAS family. "We have taken radical measures and all our distributors are now complying with this standard," Yves Coppieters, the regional minister for health and the environment, told AFP. Nevertheless he acknowledged that "the population is very concerned", adding that without clarity on the source of the pollution, it might take decades to resolve the issue. "Telling people not to eat their home-grown eggs and vegetables, setting standards for sewage sludge... for now I'm just putting out fires," said Coppieters, who favours a ban on all products containing PFAS. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a joint proposal for the EU to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all forever chemicals. And the European Commission has said it is looking to ban PFAS in everyday consumer products. bur-mad/ub/ec/sbk
