Latest news with #PFOA
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gut microbes could offer protection from toxic ‘forever chemicals': Study
Certain types of microbes found in the human gut can absorb toxic 'forever chemicals' from their surroundings, a new study has found. When scientists introduced the microbes into the guts of mice to 'humanize' their microbiome, they found that the bacteria rapidly accumulated the compounds consumed by the mice. These so-called forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were then excreted in feces, as documented in the study, published on Tuesday in Nature Microbiology. 'Given the scale of the problem of PFAS 'forever chemicals', particularly their effects on human health, it's concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies,' senior author Kiran Patil, head of the toxicology unit of the University of Cambridge's Medical Research Council, said in a statement. Notorious for their inability to break down in the environment, PFAS are linked to several kinds of cancers and other serious illnesses. There are thousands of types of PFAS, all of which are manmade and many of which are present in household items, such as nonstick pans, waterproof apparel and cosmetics. 'We found that certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations, and store these in clumps inside their cells,' Patil said. 'Due to aggregation of PFAS in these clumps, the bacteria themselves seem protected from the toxic effects,' he added. To draw their conclusions, the researchers assessed the ability of two mixtures of human bacterial strains to sequester pollutant compounds — testing 42 common contaminants based on their reported occurrences in food. They found that a total of 13 pollutants were depleted by more than 20 percent by one or both synthetic communities. The scientists then tested 10 contaminants for depletion against 14 individual strains, which were a subset selected for their prevalence and abundance in a healthy population. In that test, they found that seven pollutants were depleted by more than 20 percent by at least one of the bacterial strains. Among the pollutants degraded by the gut bacteria were PFOA and PFNA, two types of PFAS, the authors determined. PFOA and PFNA bioaccumulated in nine strains of bacteria, doing so at rates between 25 and 74 percent for PFNA and between 23 and 58 percent for PFOA. Although the scientists identified the ability of the bacteria to uptake these forms of PFAS, they acknowledged that they have yet to pinpoint the mechanism by which the bacteria take up the contaminants. But by uncovering microbial PFAS bioaccumulation, they expressed hope that their findings would provide a framework for future such investigations into the relationships between PFAS and the microbiome. 'The reality is that PFAS are already in the environment and in our bodies, and we need to try and mitigate their impact on our health now,' co-author Indra Roux, a researcher in the Toxicology Unit, said in a statement. 'We haven't found a way to destroy PFAS, but our findings open the possibility of developing ways to get them out of our bodies where they do the most harm,' Roux added. Building off their research, Patil and co-author Anna Lindell co-founded a startup, Cambiotics, to develop probiotics that remove PFAS from the body. They are investigating ways of turbo-charging the performance of these microbes, with the support of the University of Cambridge's innovation arm. 'PFAS were once considered safe, but it's now clear that they're not,' Lindell said. 'It's taken a long time for PFAS to become noticed because at low levels they're not acutely toxic. But they're like a slow poison.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Gut microbes could offer protection from toxic ‘forever chemicals': Study
Certain types of microbes found in the human gut can absorb toxic 'forever chemicals' from their surroundings, a new study has found. When scientists introduced the microbes into the guts of mice to 'humanize' their microbiome, they found that the bacteria rapidly accumulated the compounds consumed by the mice. These so-called forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were then excreted in feces, as documented in the study, published on Tuesday in Nature Microbiology. 'Given the scale of the problem of PFAS 'forever chemicals', particularly their effects on human health, it's concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies,' senior author Kiran Patil, head of the toxicology unit of the University of Cambridge's Medical Research Council, said in a statement. Notorious for their inability to break down in the environment, PFAS are linked to several kinds of cancers and other serious illnesses. There are thousands of types of PFAS, all of which are manmade and many of which are present in household items, such as nonstick pans, waterproof apparel and cosmetics. 'We found that certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations, and store these in clumps inside their cells,' Patil said. 'Due to aggregation of PFAS in these clumps, the bacteria themselves seem protected from the toxic effects,' he added. To draw their conclusions, the researchers assessed the ability of two mixtures of human bacterial strains to sequester pollutant compounds — testing 42 common contaminants based on their reported occurrences in food. They found that a total of 13 pollutants were depleted by more than 20 percent by one or both synthetic communities. The scientists then tested 10 contaminants for depletion against 14 individual strains, which were a subset selected for their prevalence and abundance in a healthy population. In that test, they found that seven pollutants were depleted by more than 20 percent by at least one of the bacterial strains. Among the pollutants degraded by the gut bacteria were PFOA and PFNA, two types of PFAS, the authors determined. PFOA and PFNA bioaccumulated in nine strains of bacteria, doing so at rates between 25 and 74 percent for PFNA and between 23 and 58 percent for PFOA. Although the scientists identified the ability of the bacteria to uptake these forms of PFAS, they acknowledged that they have yet to pinpoint the mechanism by which the bacteria take up the contaminants. But by uncovering microbial PFAS bioaccumulation, they expressed hope that their findings would provide a framework for future such investigations into the relationships between PFAS and the microbiome. 'The reality is that PFAS are already in the environment and in our bodies, and we need to try and mitigate their impact on our health now,' co-author Indra Roux, a researcher in the Toxicology Unit, said in a statement. 'We haven't found a way to destroy PFAS, but our findings open the possibility of developing ways to get them out of our bodies where they do the most harm,' Roux added. Building off their research, Patil and co-author Anna Lindell co-founded a startup, Cambiotics, to develop probiotics that remove PFAS from the body. They are investigating ways of turbo-charging the performance of these microbes, with the support of the University of Cambridge's innovation arm. 'PFAS were once considered safe, but it's now clear that they're not,' Lindell said. 'It's taken a long time for PFAS to become noticed because at low levels they're not acutely toxic. But they're like a slow poison.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Verdict expected in Italy 'forever chemicals' trial
A verdict is expected Thursday in the trial of 15 managers of a chemical plant accused of knowingly contaminating the water of hundreds of thousands of people in Italy. The now-shuttered Miteni factory near the northeastern city of Vicenza is alleged to have polluted one of Europe's largest groundwater basins with PFAS, dubbed "forever chemicals" because they never break down. The prosecution alleges that the plant in Trissino, which produced PFAS from 1968 and was run by three companies until its closure due to bankruptcy in 2018, leaked chemical-laced wastewater into a waterway, polluting a vast area between Vicenza, Verona and Padova. Fifteen managers from Mitsubishi, International Chemical Investors (ICIG) and Miteni are charged with contaminating nearly 200 square kilometres (77 square miles) of drinking water, as well as soil. Prosecutors in the trial, which began in 2021, have called for the managers to be sentenced to a total of 121 years in jail, lawyer Edoardo Bortolotto told AFP Thursday. Over 200 civil plaintiffs have joined the trial, including Greenpeace and local mothers who united after discovering their families had the chemicals in their blood. PFAS have been used since the late 1940s to mass produce the nonstick, waterproof and stain-resistant treatments that coat everything from frying pans to umbrellas, carpets and dental floss. But chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birthweights and several kinds of cancer. The contamination was discovered in 2013 after Italy's environment ministry ordered tests of the Po River following a 2006 European project assessing exposure to such chemicals in rivers. Of all the rivers studied, the Po had the highest concentrations of one specific PFAS called PFOA, a known carcinogen. Further investigation identified Miteni as the source. At the time, there were no Italian or EU thresholds for PFAS content in drinking water, according to a regional report by the World Health Organization (WHO). ide/giv
The Sun
7 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Verdict expected in Italy ‘forever chemicals' trial
ROME: A verdict is expected Thursday in the trial of 15 managers of a chemical plant accused of knowingly contaminating the water of hundreds of thousands of people in Italy. The now-shuttered Miteni factory near the northeastern city of Vicenza is alleged to have polluted one of Europe's largest groundwater basins with PFAS, dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they never break down. The prosecution alleges that the plant in Trissino, which produced PFAS from 1968 and was run by three companies until its closure due to bankruptcy in 2018, leaked chemical-laced wastewater into a waterway, polluting a vast area between Vicenza, Verona and Padova. Fifteen managers from Mitsubishi, International Chemical Investors (ICIG) and Miteni are charged with contaminating nearly 200 square kilometres (77 square miles) of drinking water, as well as soil. Prosecutors in the trial, which began in 2021, have called for the managers to be sentenced to a total of 121 years in jail, lawyer Edoardo Bortolotto told AFP Thursday. Over 200 civil plaintiffs have joined the trial, including Greenpeace and local mothers who united after discovering their families had the chemicals in their blood. PFAS have been used since the late 1940s to mass produce the nonstick, waterproof and stain-resistant treatments that coat everything from frying pans to umbrellas, carpets and dental floss. But chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birthweights and several kinds of cancer. The contamination was discovered in 2013 after Italy's environment ministry ordered tests of the Po River following a 2006 European project assessing exposure to such chemicals in rivers. Of all the rivers studied, the Po had the highest concentrations of one specific PFAS called PFOA, a known carcinogen. Further investigation identified Miteni as the source. At the time, there were no Italian or EU thresholds for PFAS content in drinking water, according to a regional report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
France 24
7 days ago
- Health
- France 24
Verdict expected in Italy 'forever chemicals' trial
The now-shuttered Miteni factory near the northeastern city of Vicenza is alleged to have polluted one of Europe's largest groundwater basins with PFAS, dubbed "forever chemicals" because they never break down. The prosecution alleges that the plant in Trissino, which produced PFAS from 1968 and was run by three companies until its closure due to bankruptcy in 2018, leaked chemical-laced wastewater into a waterway, polluting a vast area between Vicenza, Verona and Padova. Fifteen managers from Mitsubishi, International Chemical Investors (ICIG) and Miteni are charged with contaminating nearly 200 square kilometres (77 square miles) of drinking water, as well as soil. Prosecutors in the trial, which began in 2021, have called for the managers to be sentenced to a total of 121 years in jail, lawyer Edoardo Bortolotto told AFP Thursday. Over 200 civil plaintiffs have joined the trial, including Greenpeace and local mothers who united after discovering their families had the chemicals in their blood. PFAS have been used since the late 1940s to mass produce the nonstick, waterproof and stain-resistant treatments that coat everything from frying pans to umbrellas, carpets and dental floss. But chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birthweights and several kinds of cancer. The contamination was discovered in 2013 after Italy's environment ministry ordered tests of the Po River following a 2006 European project assessing exposure to such chemicals in rivers. Of all the rivers studied, the Po had the highest concentrations of one specific PFAS called PFOA, a known carcinogen. Further investigation identified Miteni as the source. At the time, there were no Italian or EU thresholds for PFAS content in drinking water, according to a regional report by the World Health Organization (WHO). © 2025 AFP
