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Regularly donating blood or plasma can reduce PFAS concentrations in the body, I believe the effect is the same on microplastics https://theconversation.com/new
by ditn 3y ago
Regularly donating blood or plasma can reduce PFAS concentrations in the body, I believe the effect is the same on microplastics https://theconversation.com/new-evidence-shows-blood-or-plasma-donations-can-reduce-the-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-our-bodies-178771 https://theconversation.com/new-evidence-shows-blood-or-plas...
- godsfshrmn 3y agoThe only feasible way I see for removal is via donation or some form of hemodialysis. As the saying goes, the solution for pollution is dilution (or at least in the medical sense!)
- CommanderData 3y agoThis comes up time and time again. I'd feel worse giving someone else toxic blood that can't be fully filtered. Why isn't blood letting mentioned more?
- Zircom 3y agoYou don't need to feel guilty. Microplastics are pervasive to the point where everybody already has them in their blood, so people receiving blood with them in it are getting any noticeably net harm done to them. If you're in need of a blood transfusion the alternative is usually death, so all things considering maintaining the status quo of microplastic levels already in you isn't the worst thing ever.
- croes 3y agoYou mean bloodletting, because you can't use the blood for others.
- burke 3y agoIf all donated blood was screened for trace microplastics, I think we’d have an immediate and total donor blood shortage.
- daveguy 3y agoI don't think anyone would mind taking on some pfas or microplastics from a donor if they're about to bleed out. There are always priorities.
- carlmr 3y agoEspecially since we all have PFAS and microplastics in us at this point. There is no PFAS- and microplastics-free blood.
- ekanes 3y agoSuper interesting. But is the blood then cleaned of them, or is this kind of like giving your plastics to someone else? :/
- erikpukinskis 3y agoIf I was in a need of a blood transfusion I think I’m OK with there being a normal amount of nanoplastics in them.
- ahupp 3y agonit, but this is usually accomplished with plasma donation (plasmapheresis) rather than blood donation. You can donate plasma much more frequently (2x/week) vs blood (once per 2 months), thought the volume taken for each is roughly similar.
- b112 3y agoThe filters used must be a specific size, so how micro, are micro plastics? If they keep breaking into smaller pieces, wouldn't they be cell sized too? And thus, pass cell sized filters?
- ahupp 3y agoThey don't filter the plasma, they remove it and replace with some other substance depending in your condition and risk profile.
- b112 3y agoYou have to filter whole blood, to get plasma.
- ahupp 3y agoSo you filter out the blood cells (45% of volume), toss the plasma (55% of volume) and return blood cells + clean plasma. Any substances the plasma are gone. So this is useful to the extent that the substances you care about are free in plasma. At least in the case of PFAS ("forever chemicals") that seems to be the case, see "Effect of Plasma and Blood Donations on Levels of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Firefighters in Australia", which found that 52 weeks of plasma donation reduced PFAS blood levels by ~30%. This was more effective than blood donation, which reduced levels by 10% and 0% depending on the specific substances you look at. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2790905 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle...
- coding123 3y agoOr get a shit ton of labs done
- bilsbie 3y agoHow about regular whole blood donations?