Human gut bacteria can remove forever chemicals

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Research from the UK hints at possible new ways to mitigate the health impacts of PFAS chemicals by using bacteria

Human gut bacteria
Certain species of E. coli found in the human gut can bioaccumulate PFAS chemicals.

UK researchers have found that some species of microbes in the human gut can digest PFAS – the so-called ‘forever chemicals’ found in textiles and other consumer goods.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge discovered that bacterial species isolated from the human gut, which were inserted into mice, can rapidly accumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals ingested by the rodents.

 

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