News Chemistry

Gut microbes may flush ‘forever chemicals’ from the body

Mouse experiments show some human gut bacteria can absorb PFAS and be expelled through feces

A fork next to scratches on a nonstick pan's surface. Many nonstick pans contain PFAS, which build up in the body but may be expelled by some gut microbes.

Some human gut microbes can absorb PFAS, toxic “forever chemicals” that are found in common waterproof or stain-resistant household items including nonstick cookware. Understanding how bacteria soak up PFAS could help researchers develop ways to flush the chemicals out of the body.

Vadym Plysiuk/Getty Images

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

Expelling toxic “forever chemicals” from the body may take guts — or at least, their microbes.