PFAS Eating Bacteria?
- Layne Kilpatrick, RPh
- Jul 25
- 2 min read
Transcript: PFAS-Eating Bacteria?
Forever chemicals might need a new nickname. A major discovery in Italy just changed the game.
PFAS—those toxic, manmade compounds used in nonstick pans, stain-resistant fabrics, waterproof clothes, and food packaging—are some of the most stubborn substances we’ve ever created. They resist breakdown, build up in your blood, and are linked to infertility, thyroid issues, immune dysfunction, and serious hormone disruption.
Their secret of their superpower? A chain of carbon atoms shielded by fluorine all along the chain. The carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest in all of chemistry. That’s why they persist in the body for 4-6 years wreaking havoc, and in the environment for centuries.
But now for the breakthrough: scientists in Italy found twenty strains of bacteria in PFAS-contaminated soil that were using PFAS as their only carbon source—meaning, they were eating it.
This wasn’t a lab-grown bug. It was a natural microbial ecosystem breaking down and feeding on PFAS in the wild. And while we don’t yet know how widespread these bacteria are, it’s proof that nature found a way. This is really good news.
We’re not in the clear and we simply cannot continue to release these chemicals into commerce—but it’s important to tell the whole story when it comes to the toxins polluting our planet. Carbon and fluorine are both elements found abundantly in the earth. If the C–F bond is one of the strongest in nature, and those atoms have such a strong attraction to each other, it stands to reason they might come together in nature outside of human industry. So maybe it shouldn’t surprise us that nature might also hold the key to breaking that bond.
These PFAS-eating bacteria apparently have the enzymes and biochemical tools to do what we’ve struggled to do. If we can discover how they’re cleaving that nearly unbreakable bond—then maybe, just maybe, we can adapt that knowledge to help clear these compounds from the human body as well. There’s real cause for hope here. In the meantime, you’ve got to protect yourself. Filter your water and indoor air, and buy take-out food only in PFAS-free containers.
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