Scientists at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta will embark on a clinical trial to test medication against exposure to forever chemicals called PFAS.
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are found in everyday items, such as those that are water- and residue-resistant. Because they take an extremely long time to break down, they stick around in the environment and can enter the human body through food, water, and environmental exposure.
The risks PFAS pose to humans are still not completely understood. But research so far suggests that exposure to high enough levels can cause an increased risk of certain cancers, fertility issues, and interfere with normal hormone production.
Informed by the results of much smaller studies done in Europe, Emory researchers plan to test how well a drug that lowers cholesterol can help remove PFAS from the human body.
The idea is that cholesterol-lowering medications, such as the previously tested cholestyramine and colesevelam, can help pull and expel PFAS out of the bloodstream, says lead researcher Dana Barr.
“People are going to be enrolled either for one, two, three, or four months,” Barr said. “And we’ll evaluate how successful the drug is at eliminating PFAS from their bodies over those individual time periods.”
Adults living in Gordon and Floyd counties in Northwest Georgia for at least five years are eligible for the trial, scheduled to begin next year. Barr said they’re hoping to enroll around 300 participants over the length of the trial.
Emory is encouraging individuals interested in enrolling in the clinical trial to fill out a form or contact them directly at ngapfas@emory.edu.
A previous study done by Emory on nearly 200 residents in these counties found three-quarters of participants had unhealthy levels of PFAS in their blood.
While certain actions and behaviors can reduce PFAS exposure, once it’s in the human body, it can take years for natural processes to filter it out.
To make sure this medication actually pulls out PFAS, and isn’t just moving it somewhere else in the body, Barr says they’ll be monitoring blood, fecal, and urine samples of study participants.
“We’re trying to account for every way it can come out of [the] body,” she said.
The clinical trial is supported by a $6.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Exposure to forever chemicals in Northwest Georgia has been largely credited to the contamination of local waterways by chemicals used in carpet manufacturing. An investigation released this year by FRONTLINE (PBS), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Associated Press, with reporting from The Post and Courier and AL.com, explores how the chemical industry and Georgia’s carpet manufacturing giants began to understand the risks associated with PFAS exposure decades ago.
- RELATED: Takeaways from investigation into the toxic forever chemical legacy of the South’s carpet industry
This summer, the city of Rome released plans to build a water treatment facility with the intention of removing PFAS from the water supply, paid for with money from settlements reached with carpet manufacturers.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump has moved to weaken the enforcement of drinking water standards implemented as a way to limit the allowable levels of PFAS in water systems.
Barr and others at Emory are also working on a research project around Superfund sites on Georgia’s coast. There, they hope to better understand the level and pathways of human exposure to forever chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the pesticide toxaphene.
