How Therapeutic Apheresis Clears PFAS from Blood
Because many environmental chemicals associate with lipids or proteins, researchers investigated whether environmental chemicals might be removed incidentally during procedures intended to lower lipoproteins. In an analysis of 14 participants tested before and after treatment, researchers at Medizinisches Labor Bremen found that participant blood concentrations of four common PFAS—perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid—fell by up to 25%, with statistical significance ranging from P≤0.05 to P≤0.001.
Understanding the “Passenger” Mechanism and Protein Binding
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances comprise a large group of synthetic compounds used in everyday items such as non-stick pans, food packaging and waterproof clothing, industrial coatings, and some food-contact applications. According to background data cited by researchers, biomonitoring studies have detected PFAS in more than 99 percent of people tested in the United States.
Did you know? More than 4,700 PFAS have been identified in commercial use or environmental circulation, and several have biological half-lives measured in years.
Inconsistent Results for Micro- and Nanoplastics
Polyethylene levels fell in all the participants, while polyvinyl chloride declined in only three.
What Comes Next for Environmental Pollutant Filtration
Frequently Asked Questions
What is therapeutic apheresis?
Therapeutic apheresis is a blood filtering process used for patients with severe high cholesterol who do not respond to medication treatments, drawing blood from a patient, separating plasma from blood cells, and passing the plasma through a filtration membrane or an adsorption column before returning it to the circulation.
How much did PFAS levels drop during the study?
Does this study prove that apheresis cures forever chemical poisoning?
No. Researchers emphasize that the work does not yet demonstrate a reduction in total body pollution or any health benefit, and stipulate that larger, controlled trials using standardised measurements are needed.
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