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Emory launches northwest Georgia trial to test treatment for PFAS exposure
A five-year Emory University study in Floyd and Gordon counties will test whether an existing medication can reduce PFAS levels in people’s bodies. The trial follows findings of elevated exposure among residents and is funded by a $6.57 million federal grant.
Emory University is preparing a five-year clinical trial in Rome and Calhoun to test whether a commonly used medication can help remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from the body. Researchers say the large, community-based study is among the first to test a medical approach to reducing the chemicals in people who have been exposed.
The trial is open to adults 18 and older who have lived in Floyd or Gordon County for at least five years and are generally in good health. People with certain conditions, including advanced kidney disease and some gastrointestinal disorders, are not eligible. Participants will provide blood, urine and stool samples over four months. Residents can ask about enrollment through Emory at ngapfas@emory.edu.
The study, announced in September 2026, is supported by a $6.57 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers have not said which medication will be tested in the information provided about the trial, and its effectiveness remains to be determined.
The research builds on years of concern about PFAS exposure in northwest Georgia. Earlier blood testing of 11 Rome-area residents found that nearly all had PFAS levels above the national median. In a separate Emory study in 2025, nearly 200 residents had levels high enough to qualify for prioritized medical screening under guidance from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
State regulators previously found PFAS in the Oostanaula River, which supplies Rome’s drinking water. The chemicals are used in products including nonstick cookware, food packaging and some cosmetics, and can persist in the environment and human body for years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to higher risks of cancer and other serious health problems.
“This work is impactful and it has the potential to change the lives of a lot of people impacted by PFAS contamination,” said Stephanie Eick, an associate professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. “Ultimately, it will really depend on what we find, but we’re hopeful.”
Dana Barr, a professor of environmental health, said the study could move the response beyond documenting exposure. If the treatment works, she said, it could offer an approach to substantially reducing PFAS levels already in people’s bodies.
Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, executive director of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, welcomed the research but said manufacturers and companies that profited from PFAS should pay for it. The group says carpet manufacturers discharged PFAS-laced wastewater into north Georgia rivers.
Rome resident Mike Elliot, whose blood was tested in earlier research, said he hopes to take part in the trial and urged neighbors to consider enrolling. “I give them an A for effort,” he said. “I hope they’re successful.”