• Agent641@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      4 hours ago

      Whoops, long term studies show it turns the host into a zombie after 4 years.

  • MalReynolds@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    20 hours ago

    Awesome, nature finds a way. Wonder how common this removal is with other things, also, engineering one for nanoplastic removal would be a huge win!

  • xep@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    51
    ·
    23 hours ago

    Doesn’t really seem like they’ll get rid of what’s already in the bloodstream and no real mention of safety yet, but it looks promising.

    • Kyle@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      23 hours ago

      I wonder if there are other ways pfas might be circulated out of the bloodstream and back into the digestive system to be collected by this microfauna.

      One of the ways oats and oatmeal reduce the amount of cholesterol in your body is by binding to the cholesterol in bile so it’s excreted instead of being re-absorbed. So the cholesterol could already be in the bloodstream, converted into bile, then excretes with the oats once it’s combined. This clearly has multiple essential organs helping the process, but still, a mechanism like this could still make a difference over time.

    • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      22 hours ago

      Time to start donating blood regularly. Someone else will get plastics sure, but they’ll need the blood for more pressing reasons.

      • HubertManne@piefed.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        9 hours ago

        I wish I was not a needlephobe as there is some indication it can be good for you the same way things that encourage your old cells to die (senolytics) are good.

        • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          5 hours ago

          Fasting is a good way to achieve that.

          But as far as donating goes, there may be a day you might be the recipient of much needed blood donations.

          Had a lady need 12 bags of blood after almost exsanguinating following a really complicated delivery (both survived). She never gave blood before due to fear of needles, but now is a regular blood donor because of the importance of it. She told me to not wait and just start giving.

          • HubertManne@piefed.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 hours ago

            I have a hard time believing she was a needlephobe and not more of a person who was not wild about needles as phobias do not disapear so easily.

  • Inucune@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    22 hours ago

    I’m waiting for people to start using leeches again to treat pfas in the blood.

    • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      15 hours ago

      Regular plasma donation is the most effective treatment. Blood donation works, too, but you can only donate blood every two months, versus plasma donations up to twice a week.

      • DaPorkchop_@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        6 hours ago

        Isn’t that just passing the PFAS on to whoever ends up getting injected with your donation?

        • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          5 hours ago

          Yes and no.

          If you regularly donate, your PFAS levels will be well below average, so your blood/plasma will actually lower the recipient’s concentrations. Not quite as low as it brings down your concentrations, but still lower than average.

          Further, with plasma, they extract the proteins to produce various medications. That process leaves the PFAS with the remaining, depleted plasma, which is then discarded.

          But, even if your concentrations are significantly above average, and the recipient receives whole blood/plasma from you, they are only receiving 1 unit from you, adding to 8 or 9 units of their own. Their net blood concentration rises only 1/8th above average as your own concentration.

          The lifesaving value of your PFAS-contaminated blood is infinitely higher than the risks posed by your PFAS.

          Tl;dr: Don’t discard your blood.

    • SheeEttin@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      21 hours ago

      That’s actually a valid treatment! Although really they’d probably just take a pint here and there. When you do, the body produces new, pure blood.

    • jaybone@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Then 20 years from now, we’ll all have micro sponges in our ovaries and testicles.