Swiss Study Uses Microsamples to Detect Environmental Exposures

September 2023 — Mitra^® microsampling devices from Trajan Scientific and Medical were used to collect blood samples in a study from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which protects public health, develops Swiss health policy and ensures efficient and affordable healthcare. The FOPH launched a pilot study using Mitra devices for human biomonitoring of environmental exposure to toxic chemicals, which involved analyzing finger-stick blood samples and urine samples collected from 789 people in Switzerland.

 

This was a large-scale study by the FOPH, which recruited healthy study volunteers between 20 and 69 years of age to measure their exposures to these harmful chemicals. The study volunteers were primarily from the areas of Vaud and Bern in Switzerland.

The researchers highlighted in the FOPH report that "exposure to PFOS is of health concern, and 3.6% of participants are exposed to concentrations above the threshold value set for PFOS. This substance of the PFAS family has been banned in the EU and Switzerland for more than 10 years, with a few exceptions, but it is still present in the environment and in the human body due to its long lifespan and high mobility."

PFOS, a Toxic Chemical in Many Materials

Murielle Bochud, a Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at the University of Lausanne, worked on the pilot study and participated in a radio interview with RTS. In the interview, Professor Bochud stated, "We measured a number of synthetic chemicals. One of the findings is that, on the one hand, some of these substances were not detectable, which is gratifying. On the other hand, other substances known to be potentially dangerous to health were detected in a certain percentage of participants, including PFOS."

Professor Bochud further explained in her interview that this synthetic chemical molecule is found in water, food, clothing, shoes and the atmosphere. She said that these substances are found in several sectors of industry, such as textiles and aerospace, and were synthesized as early as the 1950s.

As soon as a potential health hazard was identified through toxicology studies, some of the PFAS substances were banned, including PFOS. However, because these substances persist in the environment for a long time, they are still detectable today and may continue to pose a health threat.

Although PFOS have been banned in Switzerland since 2010, residues take several years to disappear, hence their presence in the environment, food and, by extension, the human body.

How to Avoid Environmental Pollutants Like PFOS

To stay away from PFOS, experts recommend following a healthy and varied diet, that includes avoiding pre-packaged foods. Get regular exercise and avoid smoking. Update old kitchen pans and utensils, which may have been manufactured with PFOS. 

As a follow-up to their initial pilot study, the FOPH has proposed to conduct a larger study of up to 10,000 people over a period of 20 years to determine if the PFOS exposure levels are deteriorating or improving. Additionally, the FOPH hopes to set up a national program to collect health data as well as human biomonitoring data. This would be an interdisciplinary follow-up study to collect data on the state of health and exposure to certain pollutants.