Pfas everywhere, alarm in drinking water: the test to detect the substances

Pfas, the do-it-yourself test for home drinking water is coming soon

They don't stop alarms regarding PFAS, perfluoroalkyl substances considered persistent pollutants, due to their extraordinary resistance to chemical and physical agents. Introduced in the 1950s to provide grease and water resistance to various materials, these compounds, numbering more than 10,000, are now so widespread that they have penetrated every level of food chain. They start with groundwater and soils, moving on to plants, animals and finally humans. A European study confirmed theirs presence in the organism of all people tested and highlighted their harmful effect on blood lipids and the cardiovascular system.

Meanwhile, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, a highly sensitive system for detecting some PFAS in drinking water. He writes it il Fatto Alimentare.it. This system could soon become a common, stick-like tool for checking tap water right at home. To confirm the widespread distribution of PFAS and investigate their effects on blood fats, researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn, Germany, analyzed the blood of 2,500 residents of Bonn and Leiderdorp, the Netherlands, of various ages. They focused their attention on three common PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS). The results confirmed the presence of these compounds in the blood of all people tested, with no significant differences between the two countries. Furthermore, a correlation emerged between the presence of PFAS and negative changes in blood lipids, including increased levels of cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. In particular, the damage seems to be more evident in younger subjects.

To address the problem of PFAS contamination in drinking water, MIT engineers have developed a detection system based on lateral flow technology, similar to that used in rapid tests for Covid or pregnancy. This system uses a polymer called polyaniline which, when it comes into contact with acidic substances such as Pfas, switches from semiconducting to conducting behavior. The system detects this change in electrical characteristics to signal the presence of Pfas in the water, also providing a quantitative estimate of their concentration. While the test's sensitivity is already high, it can detect Pfas concentrations as low as 400 parts per trillion for PBFA and 200 parts per trillion for PFOA. However, it still remains far from the maximum limit allowed for drinking water. Despite this, this method represents one of the most sensitive developed so far and could become a home test accessible in the near future, allowing people to regularly monitor water quality to protect their health and that of their family members.