We are more aware of the "forever chemicals" (PFAS) since a detection of the chemicals in some SRWD wells. Our engineers are wrapping up a feasibility study with the Colorado School of Mines to select the best filtration process to install. In the meantime, an article was recently published in ScienceNews entitled, "Gut microbes may flush ‘forever chemicals’ from the body".
Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that certain bacterial strains, including E. coli, soaked up between 20% and 75% of PFAS in laboratory dishes. Furthermore, mice that were “humanized” with microbes that live in people, had more PFAS in their feces than microbe-free mice, according to Science News.
Governments and organizations worldwide are working on strategies to reduce PFAS use, set safety limits, and develop technologies for removing these chemicals from the environment. Recent scientific breakthroughs, such as the use of gut bacteria, are being explored as innovative ways to break down PFAS.
“Our gut microbiome does a lot of things for us,” says study author Kiran Patil, a microbiologist at the University of Cambridge. “And maybe they are doing something positive to help us with PFAS.”
Bacteria often encounter many potentially stressful chemicals such as pesticides and have mechanisms to deal with them. But “from the bacterial perspective, chemicals are chemicals,” says Patil.