Research suggests that our bodies could be capable of flushing out dangerous "forever chemicals" thanks to certain gut microbes.
The study, published in the journal Nature Microbiology and summarized by Science News, found that some of the microbes found in our guts can absorb PFAS and then help us excrete them through our poo.
Scientists studied mice, finding that the gut bacteria of animals whose intestines had been cleared of existing microbes and replaced with the kinds that live in people excreted more PFAS in their feces than microbe-free mice.
PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that have been used since the 1940s in products like non-stick cookware and water-resistant clothing, as well as in firefighting foams.
This research comes at a critical time as we learn more about the extent of PFAS contamination worldwide.
For instance, residents in many communities are learning that they have been drinking PFAS-contaminated water for years. Such is the case in Kallinge, Sweden, where people are testing for high levels of these chemicals in their blood.
Similarly, New Mexico hunters have been warned that they may have been eating contaminated meat from game that had lived around a lake identified as having the highest PFAS levels of any place in the world.
While research is still ongoing, PFAS have been tied to health issues such as decreased fertility, increased risk of certain cancers, and reduced ability of the body's immune system to fight infections, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
"Our [gut microbiome] does a lot of things for us," one of the study's authors, Kiran Patil, said, according to Science News. "And maybe they are doing something positive to help us with PFAS."
Meanwhile, the team acknowledged the study's limitations.
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Majorly 😥 "These experiments were done using a one-time dosage while most populations experience low chronic exposure," the researchers stated.
"Therefore, cohort studies tracking PFAS intake, blood levels, urine and faecal excretion, and microbiota composition over a prolonged period will be an important next step."
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