Breakthrough could help detoxify pollutants

Scientists at the University of Manchester hope a major breakthrough could lead to more effective methods for detoxifying dangerous pollutants such as PCBs and dioxins.

The result is a culmination of 15 years of research and a dedicated European Research Council grant. The outcomes detail how certain organisms manage to lower the toxicity of pollutants. The team at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology was investigating how some natural organisms manage to lower the level of toxicity and shorten the lifespan of several notorious pollutants.

Explaining the research, Professor David Leys commented: “We already know that some of the most toxic pollutants contain halogen atoms and that most biological systems simply don’t know how to deal with these molecules. However, there are some organisms that can remove these halogen atoms using vitamin B12. Our research has identified that they use vitamin B12 in a very different way to how we currently understand it.

“Detailing how this novel process of detoxification works means that we are now in a position to look at replicating it. We hope that, ultimately, new ways of combatting some of the world’s biggest toxins can now be developed more quickly and efficiently.”

The main drive behind this research has been to look at ways of combatting the dozens of very harmful molecules that have been released into the environment. Many have been directly expelled by pollutants or from burning household waste. As the concentration of these molecules has increased over time, their presence poses more of a threat to the environment and humanity.

The findings are published in the journal Nature.