A researcher at University at Buffalo has discovered a bacterium that eats PFAS chemicals that could prove helpful to wastewater treatment operators.

“The way the bacteria works is that when you are subjected to this harsh environment, a lot of them die and the most resistant, the most robust, are the ones that grow and proliferate,” said Diana Aga, a professor at the University of Buffalo.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are also known as forever chemicals because of their persistence in the environment. These chemicals have been linked to a variety of human health issues such as increased cancer, fertility problems and birth defects.

Aga said she discovered these bacteria through a colleague in Portugal, who found that bacteria degrade pharmaceuticals, which led Aga to wond

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