Regular Blood Donations Can Reduce Forever Chemical Concentrations In Our Bodies

Regular Blood Donations Can Reduce Forever Chemical Concentrations In Our Bodies

There are many solid reasons for donating blood, but while it often takes a crisis event to mobilize us into giving blood to others in need, new research suggests that regular donations can benefit the blood donor too, in the form of reducing the concentrations of “forever chemicals” now routinely present in all human bodies. As I’ve written about numerous times on this blog, “forever chemicals” are the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly abbreviated as PFAS) that make up plastics, firefighting foams, and thousands of other, everyday household and commercial products. As the  nickname suggests, “forever chemicals” never fully degrade and have been found to be harmful to human health - disrupting the gut microbiome, causing asthma and lung diseases and other harms, including potential cancers.

But for the first time in maybe forever, a bit of potentially good news has emerged in terms of combatting the global problem of forever chemicals on our bodies. A landmark trial has found that donating blood regularly can cleanse the bloodstream of PFAS. The study looked at 285 Australian firefighters who donated blood and plasma over 12 months as part of a larger attempt to rid their bodies of forever chemicals. Firefighters are a particularly good group from which to tackle this problem as they are often even more heavily exposed to PFAS relative to the general population. Plasma donations proved more effective at reducing higher concentrations of PFAS, but both blood and plasma donations consistently demonstrated a reduced body-burden from forever chemicals.

While more research is warranted on this issue, this study provides compelling evidence that regular blood donationscould help detoxify our bodies of harmful, forever chemicals, and improve human health overall. In the meantime, if you believe you have been harmed by exposure to PFAS, you should contact an experienced law firm right away to explore your rights.