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Blood Filtration May Remove Forever Chemicals and Microplastics: Study
Some people have very high cholesterol, which can be bad for their hearts.
Doctors use a special machine to clean their blood and take out the bad cholesterol.
Scientists in Germany studied this machine and found that it also removes some 'forever chemicals' from the blood.
Forever chemicals are man-made substances that stay in the body for a very long time.
The machine also seemed to remove some tiny plastic pieces, called microplastics, but this finding is much less certain.
The scientists found the chemicals inside the machine's filter, which shows the filter had pulled them out.
However, the studies were very small, with some tests involving only two to four patients.
Experts say this does not mean people should use blood filtration as a special clean-up treatment.
Scientists need much bigger and longer studies to know if this really helps people become healthier.
Researchers from Technische Universität Dresden found that lipoprotein apheresis, a blood-filtration treatment for severe high cholesterol, also removes measurable amounts of PFAS 'forever chemicals' from patients' blood.
The peer-reviewed findings were published in the journal Brain Health.
Depending on the laboratory and patient group, levels of certain PFAS compounds fell by roughly 25% to more than 70%.
PFAS compounds were also detected in the discarded filter material, indicating they were physically removed from the blood.
Evidence for microplastic removal is preliminary, with one method showing an average ~70% reduction in nanoparticle counts that was not statistically significant due to the small number of patients studied.
- Who
- Researchers from Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, studying patients who undergo lipoprotein apheresis for severe cholesterol disorders.
- What
- A study finding that blood filtration (lipoprotein apheresis) lowers LDL cholesterol and also removes measurable amounts of PFAS 'forever chemicals,' with preliminary evidence suggesting some microplastic particles may be removed too.
- Where
- Germany, where the research was conducted at Technische Universität Dresden.
- When
- The articles do not specify a publication date; the study is described as newly published.
- Why
- The treatment was developed to treat dangerously high cholesterol, but researchers unexpectedly discovered it may also remove environmental pollutants such as PFAS that travel attached to lipoproteins.
Key facts
- Treatment studied
- Lipoprotein apheresis (blood plasma filtration)
- Researchers
- Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
- Publication
- Peer-reviewed journal Brain Health
- PFAS reduction
- About 25% to more than 70% for certain compounds, depending on lab and patient group
- Microplastic findings
- Preliminary; average ~70% reduction in nanoparticle counts, not statistically significant
- Removal confirmation
- PFAS detected in the discarded filter material
- Study size
- Small; some experiments involved only 2-4 patients
- Key caveat
- No evidence yet that lowering pollutant levels improves health outcomes
Sources
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