Gut microbes could be key to fighting toxic, long-lasting 'forever chemicals,' research says

Scientists find human gut bacteria can soak up harmful PFAS chemicals, potentially offering a natural way to remove these toxic substances from human bodies.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, "are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. 

"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," Dr. Kiran Patil, from the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and senior author of the report, said in a statement.