Read the full article by Esra Öz (ScienceAlert)
“A filter used to clear excess fats from the blood of people with cardiovascular disease may also trap much smaller stowaways: some persistent synthetic chemicals and microplastics.
The treatment, known as therapeutic apheresis, passes a patient’s blood through a machine, filters out targeted substances, and returns the blood to the body.
It was not developed to remove environmental pollutants. It is generally used in severe cases where medication alone cannot sufficiently remove cholesterol – fat-carrying particles linked to cardiovascular disease risk.
But when researchers in Germany compared blood samples collected immediately before and after the procedure, levels of some synthetic chemicals fell.
Early findings suggest that certain microplastics may also be retained by the filters.
The chemicals examined in the Brain Health study are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS – used in many products such as non-stick surfaces, waterproof textiles, and some food packaging.”…