Latest news with #Pfas
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
US wetlands ‘restored' using treated sewage tainted with forever chemicals
Many of the nation's wetlands are being filled with toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' as wastewater treatment plant effluent tainted with the compounds is increasingly used to restore swampland and other waters. The practice threatens wildlife, food and drinking water sources, environmental advocates warn. Effluent is the liquid discharged by wastewater treatment plants after it 'disinfects' sewage in the nation's sewer system. The treatment process largely kills pathogens and the water is high in nutrients that help plants grow, so on one level it is beneficial to struggling ecosystems. But the treatment process does not address any of the hundreds of thousands of chemicals potentially discharged into sewers, including Pfas. Testing has found effluent virtually always contains Pfas at concerning levels, but the practice of using it for wetland restoration is still presented as an environmentally friendly measure. 'There's a huge dark side to this whole business of municipalities using effluent that's carrying loads of Pfas and other toxic materials and calling it 'wetland restoration',' said James Aronson, a restoration ecologist and president of Ecological Health Network non-profit. 'It's truly the worst kind of lying to the public.' Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems such as cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. The volume of wastewater that plants treat each day makes it virtually impossible to efficiently remove chemicals. Still, effluent has been used to recharge hundreds of wetlands across the country, as well as some rivers and aquifers, when they dry up or are otherwise degraded by human activity. Among the largest projects are in Louisiana, which has increased its use of effluent to restore the bayou and protect against coastal erosion that is in part driven by the installation of levee systems. Florida has in place similar programs aimed at regenerating the Everglades and shorelines. Meanwhile, some rivers in the south-west, like the Trinity River near Dallas, are 'almost entirely' effluent, while in California the Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and other rivers are 'effluent dominated'. Orange county, California, now uses effluent to recharge its aquifer that provides drinking water for 2.5 million people. At the same time, the country's water districts are spending an estimated $1.8bn to install technology that will remove Pfas and other pollutants from the water they pull from the aquifer. The levels of Pfas in effluent at 200 California wastewater treatment plants were almost all thousands of times above the level that the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for some compounds, recent research found. The practice is often billed as 'recycling water' and 'green', but advocates say the terms are misleading because toxic waste is literally being pumped unchecked into the environment. It's not just Pfas – microplastics, heavy metals and other toxins have been found at high levels in effluent. Few regulations around chemicals exist, and though the wastewater industry knows the scale of the problem. It's a 'don't ask, don't tell' issue, said Laura Orlando, a civil engineer with Just Zero non-profit who has worked on waste management design. 'There's lots of hype about recycling and such, but nothing about public health, because they're following the rules – which are not protective of public or ecosystem health,' Orlando said. Though little research into how the levels of Pfas in effluent used to restore wetlands affects wildlife exists, the chemicals can have consequences for animals. For example, in North Carolina, where Pfas discharged from industrial sources polluted wetlands, the chemicals were thought to be behind health problems similar to lupus in alligators and immune impacts on pelicans. 'We're talking about ecosystem health,' Aronson said. 'It's the food web, and soil, animal, and water interactions – everything gets degraded and poisoned, and it's the opposite of restoration.' There is some potential to use some types of wetlands to treat effluent that can then be released as truly clean water. 'Constructed wetlands' are filled with effluent and the inflow and outflow of water is controlled. Those can be filled with plants that take up Pfas and other contaminants. The plants would have to be disposed of in hazardous waste facilities. While there are some efforts to explore how this could work on a broad scale, the chemicals and toxins are a problem that few in the wastewater industry are thinking about, Orlando said. 'Unless you acknowledge the problem you can't fix the problem and we have to examine these words like 'clean' and 'safe',' she said.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
US wetlands ‘restored' using treated sewage tainted with forever chemicals
Many of the nation's wetlands are being filled with toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' as wastewater treatment plant effluent tainted with the compounds is increasingly used to restore swampland and other waters. The practice threatens wildlife, food and drinking water sources, environmental advocates warn. Effluent is the liquid discharged by wastewater treatment plants after it 'disinfects' sewage in the nation's sewer system. The treatment process largely kills pathogens and the water is high in nutrients that help plants grow, so on one level it is beneficial to struggling ecosystems. But the treatment process does not address any of the hundreds of thousands of chemicals potentially discharged into sewers, including Pfas. Testing has found effluent virtually always contains Pfas at concerning levels, but the practice of using it for wetland restoration is still presented as an environmentally friendly measure. 'There's a huge dark side to this whole business of municipalities using effluent that's carrying loads of Pfas and other toxic materials and calling it 'wetland restoration',' said James Aronson, a restoration ecologist and president of Ecological Health Network non-profit. 'It's truly the worst kind of lying to the public.' Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems such as cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. The volume of wastewater that plants treat each day makes it virtually impossible to efficiently remove chemicals. Still, effluent has been used to recharge hundreds of wetlands across the country, as well as some rivers and aquifers, when they dry up or are otherwise degraded by human activity. Among the largest projects are in Louisiana, which has increased its use of effluent to restore the bayou and protect against coastal erosion that is in part driven by the installation of levee systems. Florida has in place similar programs aimed at regenerating the Everglades and shorelines. Meanwhile, some rivers in the south-west, like the Trinity River near Dallas, are 'almost entirely' effluent, while in California the Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and other rivers are 'effluent dominated'. Orange county, California, now uses effluent to recharge its aquifer that provides drinking water for 2.5 million people. At the same time, the country's water districts are spending an estimated $1.8bn to install technology that will remove Pfas and other pollutants from the water they pull from the aquifer. The levels of Pfas in effluent at 200 California wastewater treatment plants were almost all thousands of times above the level that the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for some compounds, recent research found. The practice is often billed as 'recycling water' and 'green', but advocates say the terms are misleading because toxic waste is literally being pumped unchecked into the environment. It's not just Pfas – microplastics, heavy metals and other toxins have been found at high levels in effluent. Few regulations around chemicals exist, and though the wastewater industry knows the scale of the problem. It's a 'don't ask, don't tell' issue, said Laura Orlando, a civil engineer with Just Zero non-profit who has worked on waste management design. 'There's lots of hype about recycling and such, but nothing about public health, because they're following the rules – which are not protective of public or ecosystem health,' Orlando said. Though little research into how the levels of Pfas in effluent used to restore wetlands affects wildlife exists, the chemicals can have consequences for animals. For example, in North Carolina, where Pfas discharged from industrial sources polluted wetlands, the chemicals were thought to be behind health problems similar to lupus in alligators and immune impacts on pelicans. 'We're talking about ecosystem health,' Aronson said. 'It's the food web, and soil, animal, and water interactions – everything gets degraded and poisoned, and it's the opposite of restoration.' There is some potential to use some types of wetlands to treat effluent that can then be released as truly clean water. 'Constructed wetlands' are filled with effluent and the inflow and outflow of water is controlled. Those can be filled with plants that take up Pfas and other contaminants. The plants would have to be disposed of in hazardous waste facilities. While there are some efforts to explore how this could work on a broad scale, the chemicals and toxins are a problem that few in the wastewater industry are thinking about, Orlando said. 'Unless you acknowledge the problem you can't fix the problem and we have to examine these words like 'clean' and 'safe',' she said.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Some gut microbes can absorb and help expel ‘forever chemicals' from the body, research shows
Certain kinds of gut microbes absorb toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' and help expel them from the body via feces, new first-of-its-kind University of Cambridge research shows. The findings are welcome news as the only options that exist for reducing the level of dangerous Pfas compounds from the body are bloodletting and a cholesterol drug that induces unpleasant side effects. The microbes were found to remove up to 75% of some Pfas from the gut of mice. Several of the study's authors plan to develop probiotic dietary supplements that boost levels of helpful microbes in the human gut, which would likely reduce Pfas levels. 'If this could be used in humans to create probiotics that can help remove Pfas from the body then this would be a nicer solution in that it wouldn't have so many side effects,' said Anna Lindell, Cambridge doctoral student and a co-author of the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems. They are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down in the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency has found no level of exposure to Pfos or Pfoa, two of the most common Pfas compounds, in drinking water is safe. They have a half-life in human blood of anywhere from two to five years, by most estimates. That means the body expels half the amount of the chemical that is in blood during that period. Depending on blood levels, it can take decades to fully expel Pfas naturally. Though the findings represent the first time gut microbes have been found to remove Pfas, they have been found to alleviate the impacts of other contaminants, such as microplastics. The researchers didn't set out to determine if the gut bacteria expelled Pfas specifically, but instead looked at a suite of 42 common food contaminants. No Pfas limits for food exist in the US, but there is broad consensus that it is among the main exposure routes. Some microbes performed well in expelling Pfas, so the study's authors zoomed in on those. The authors introduced nine of a family of bacterial species into the guts of mice to humanize the mouse microbiome – the bacteria rapidly accumulated to absorb Pfas eaten by the mice, and the chemicals were then excreted in feces. The bacteria seem to absorb the chemical, then use a 'pump' mechanism that pushes toxins from the cells and aids in excretion, the authors wrote. The mechanism by which the chemicals are pulled into the cell is not yet understood, Lindell said, but she suspects there may be a similar pump. These are developed by microbes to expel other contaminants, drugs or antibiotics, Lindell added. Sign up to Detox Your Kitchen A seven-week expert course to help you avoid chemicals in your food and groceries. after newsletter promotion The microbes largely addressed 'long-chain' Pfas, which are larger compounds and more dangerous than smaller 'short chains' because they stay in the body longer. The body more efficiently discharges short-chain Pfas through urine because the compounds are generally water-soluble. Among the most common and dangerous long chains are Pfoa and Pfna, which the microbes expelled at rates of up to 58% and 74%, respectively. Lindell and other study leaders have started a company, Cambiotics, that will develop a probiotic based on their findings. They are planning to follow up the research with a human study. However, Lindell stressed that the probiotic would not solve the broader Pfas crisis: 'This should not be used as an excuse to downplay other sustainable solutions or to not address the bigger Pfas problem.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Some gut microbes can absorb and help expel ‘forever chemicals' from the body, research shows
Certain kinds of gut microbes absorb toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' and help expel them from the body via feces, new first-of-its-kind University of Cambridge research shows. The findings are welcome news as the only options that exist for reducing the level of dangerous Pfas compounds from the body are bloodletting and a cholesterol drug that induces unpleasant side effects. The microbes were found to remove up to 75% of some Pfas from the gut of mice. Several of the study's authors plan to develop probiotic dietary supplements that boost levels of helpful microbes in the human gut, which would likely reduce Pfas levels. Related: Trump administration yanks $15m in research into Pfas on US farms: 'not just stupid, it's evil' 'If this could be used in humans to create probiotics that can help remove Pfas from the body then this would be a nicer solution in that it wouldn't have so many side effects,' said Anna Lindell, Cambridge doctoral student and a co-author of the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems. They are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down in the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency has found no level of exposure to Pfos or Pfoa, two of the most common Pfas compounds, in drinking water is safe. They have a half-life in human blood of anywhere from two to five years, by most estimates. That means the body expels half the amount of the chemical that is in blood during that period. Depending on blood levels, it can take decades to fully expel Pfas naturally. Though the findings represent the first time gut microbes have been found to remove Pfas, they have been found to alleviate the impacts of other contaminants, such as microplastics. The researchers didn't set out to determine if the gut bacteria expelled Pfas specifically, but instead looked at a suite of 42 common food contaminants. No Pfas limits for food exist in the US, but there is broad consensus that it is among the main exposure routes. Some microbes performed well in expelling Pfas, so the study's authors zoomed in on those. The authors introduced nine of a family of bacterial species into the guts of mice to humanize the mouse microbiome – the bacteria rapidly accumulated to absorb Pfas eaten by the mice, and the chemicals were then excreted in feces. The bacteria seem to absorb the chemical, then use a 'pump' mechanism that pushes toxins from the cells and aids in excretion, the authors wrote. The mechanism by which the chemicals are pulled into the cell is not yet understood, Lindell said, but she suspects there may be a similar pump. These are developed by microbes to expel other contaminants, drugs or antibiotics, Lindell added. The microbes largely addressed 'long-chain' Pfas, which are larger compounds and more dangerous than smaller 'short chains' because they stay in the body longer. The body more efficiently discharges short-chain Pfas through urine because the compounds are generally water-soluble. Among the most common and dangerous long chains are Pfoa and Pfna, which the microbes expelled at rates of up to 58% and 74%, respectively. Lindell and other study leaders have started a company, Cambiotics, that will develop a probiotic based on their findings. They are planning to follow up the research with a human study. However, Lindell stressed that the probiotic would not solve the broader Pfas crisis: 'This should not be used as an excuse to downplay other sustainable solutions or to not address the bigger Pfas problem.'
The Guardian
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Some gut microbes can absorb and help expel ‘forever chemicals' from the body, research shows
Certain kinds of gut microbes absorb toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' and help expel them from the body via feces, new first-of-its-kind University of Cambridge research shows. The findings are welcome news as the only options that exist for reducing the level of dangerous Pfas compounds from the body are bloodletting and a cholesterol drug that induces unpleasant side effects. The microbes were found to remove up to 75% of some Pfas from the gut of mice. Several of the study's authors plan to develop probiotic dietary supplements that boost levels of helpful microbes in the human gut, which would likely reduce Pfas levels. 'If this could be used in humans to create probiotics that can help remove Pfas from the body then this would be a nicer solution in that it wouldn't have so many side effects,' said Anna Lindell, Cambridge doctoral student and a co-author of the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems. They are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down in the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency has found no level of exposure to Pfos or Pfoa, two of the most common Pfas compounds, in drinking water is safe. They have a half-life in human blood of anywhere from two to five years, by most estimates. That means the body expels half the amount of the chemical that is in blood during that period. Depending on blood levels, it can take decades to fully expel Pfas naturally. Though the findings represent the first time gut microbes have been found to remove Pfas, they have been found to alleviate the impacts of other contaminants, such as microplastics. The researchers didn't set out to determine if the gut bacteria expelled Pfas specifically, but instead looked at a suite of 42 common food contaminants. No Pfas limits for food exist in the US, but there is broad consensus that it is among the main exposure routes. Some microbes performed well in expelling Pfas, so the study's authors zoomed in on those. The authors introduced nine of a family of bacterial species into the guts of mice to humanize the mouse microbiome – the bacteria rapidly accumulated to absorb Pfas eaten by the mice, and the chemicals were then excreted in feces. The bacteria seem to absorb the chemical, then use a 'pump' mechanism that pushes toxins from the cells and aids in excretion, the authors wrote. The mechanism by which the chemicals are pulled into the cell is not yet understood, Lindell said, but she suspects there may be a similar pump. These are developed by microbes to expel other contaminants, drugs or antibiotics, Lindell added. Sign up to Detox Your Kitchen A seven-week expert course to help you avoid chemicals in your food and groceries. after newsletter promotion The microbes largely addressed 'long-chain' Pfas, which are larger compounds and more dangerous than smaller 'short chains' because they stay in the body longer. The body more efficiently discharges short-chain Pfas through urine because the compounds are generally water-soluble. Among the most common and dangerous long chains are Pfoa and Pfna, which the microbes expelled at rates of up to 58% and 74%, respectively. Lindell and other study leaders have started a company, Cambiotics, that will develop a probiotic based on their findings. They are planning to follow up the research with a human study. However, Lindell stressed that the probiotic would not solve the broader Pfas crisis: 'This should not be used as an excuse to downplay other sustainable solutions or to not address the bigger Pfas problem.'
