This Texas A&M Researcher Is Using Dirt to Fight Forever Chemicals and It Is Changing Veterinary and Environmental Health
Microplastics in water bowls. PFAS in food packaging. Mold toxins in feed. Veterinary professionals are increasingly aware that environmental exposures are not just human health issues. They show up in our patients every day. From chronic liver disease to reproductive issues and cancer risk, toxins are now part of the clinical conversation. What if one of the most promising tools to fight them is something we have been walking on all along? Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are proving that clay is far more than mud. Under the leadership of Dr. Timothy Phillips, clay based therapies are emerging as powerful, practical solutions for protecting animals, people and entire communities from harmful pollutants.
Why Clay Works
Clay’s superpower is sorption. Unlike absorption, which pulls substances inside, sorption allows clay particles to bind toxins tightly to their surface. This prevents chemicals from being absorbed through the skin or gastrointestinal tract and allows them to pass safely out of the body. For veterinary medicine, this matters because many environmental toxins enter animals through feed, water or incidental ingestion. Once inside, they can cause devastating effects.
Clay based therapies can be used in two main ways:
Topically, to block skin absorption during chemical exposure
Orally, to bind toxins in the gut before they enter circulation
Simple concept. Huge implications.
Dr. Phillips’ work began with aflatoxins, fungal toxins commonly found in mold contaminated grains and animal feed. These toxins are notorious in food animal medicine, causing gastrointestinal bleeding, bile duct swelling, fatty liver changes and widespread cellular damage. Mortality rates can be high, especially during outbreaks. By identifying specific clays that bind aflatoxins with high affinity, Phillips helped pioneer preventive strategies that reduce toxin uptake before clinical disease begins. This research has saved countless animals globally and laid the groundwork for broader applications.
Success with aflatoxins opened the door to an even bigger challenge: PFAS. Often called forever chemicals, PFAS are used in grease resistant, stain resistant and waterproof products. Think clothing, food packaging, detergents and furniture. These compounds persist in the environment for decades or longer and are increasingly linked to cancer, immune dysfunction and endocrine disruption. At the Texas A&M Superfund Research Center, Dr. Phillips leads a major project focused on mitigating exposure to PFAS and other environmental hazards. His team is exploring clay based sorbents that can reduce internal exposure in both humans and animals when complete environmental removal is not yet possible.
For veterinarians, this research has implications for:
Companion animals exposed through household products
Livestock consuming contaminated feed or water
Wildlife affected by industrial runoff and pollution
Phillips’ work is not limited to ingestion. His lab is also investigating how plants and clays can work together to reduce airborne toxins. Volatile organic chemicals are everywhere, from scented candles to cleaning products to emissions near industrial sites. These compounds easily become airborne and contribute to poor indoor and outdoor air quality. By pairing plants with natural sorbent properties and clay based materials, researchers hope to integrate toxin reducing systems into green architecture. Think living walls and plant based filtration that actively remove harmful chemicals from the air.
No one is pretending clay is the final answer to environmental pollution. Dr. Phillips himself acknowledges that the ultimate goal is complete removal and safe disposal of hazardous chemicals. Until then, clay based therapies offer something veterinary professionals value deeply: realistic protection right now. They are scalable, cost effective and grounded in solid science. Most importantly, they provide a way to reduce harm to animals and people while broader environmental solutions continue to develop.
Veterinary medicine sits at the intersection of animal health, human health and environmental health. Clay based sorbents exemplify the One Health approach in action. From feed safety to disaster response to chronic disease prevention, this research reminds us that innovation does not always look futuristic. Sometimes, it looks like dirt done right.
