A breakthrough led by Irish researchers has developed bacteria that can detect the presence of forever chemicals in soil and water and transmit the information in real time. <\/p>\n
It is hoped that the development will be a big step forward in efforts to locate and eradicate the chemicals that are accumulating rapidly in the environment. <\/p>\n
The Tyndall Institute at University College Cork<\/a> is leading the Biosensei project, combining expertise from seven other universities and research centres in Europe.<\/p>\n Prof Alan O\u2019Riordan of Tyndall secured funding for it from the European Commission<\/a> and assembled the expert consortium. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is a privilege to be working with them on such an important development which will protect future generations,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are called forever chemicals because they do not degrade naturally in the environment but continue building up to levels scientists fear pose a serious public health risk. <\/p>\n There are thousands of them and they are widely used to coat everyday items of cookware, clothing and furnishings to make them non-stick, waterproof, fire resistant and stain resistant. <\/p>\n Eventually, they make their way into wastewater and from there into waterways used as drinking water sources and into soils used for food production. <\/p>\n Up to now, detecting them required taking samples to laboratories, which is a lengthy process and is only useful in known areas of contamination or in small areas of static water or soils. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Ireland among EU states with fewest protections against cancer-linked \u2018forever chemicals\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n The Biosensei consortium has developed a matchbox-sized device containing bacteria that can be genetically modified to react to the presence of the chemicals. <\/p>\n They set off sensors that relay continuous data in real time to researchers monitoring remotely. <\/p>\n