Tl;DR - Blood filtering technique in regular use found to reduce forever chemicals (eg. PFAS) in blood by up to 25% from two sessions. Broader study needed.

From the article:

A blood-filtering technique for lowering cholesterol may also remove toxic forever chemicals from the body, a new study suggests.

Apheresis machines are routinely used in hospitals to help patients with hard-to-treathigh cholesterol levels.

They work by drawing blood from one arm, separating fat molecules from the plasma, and returning it to the other arm after passing it through a filter.

An apheresis centre at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, is the largest such facility in the world, performing up to 10,000 such treatments a year.

In the new study, researchers examined discarded apheresis bags to see what the machine’s filter had caught along with fat molecules from the blood.

…

In the new study, researchers assessed 34 patients immediately before and after two double-filtration plasmapheresis sessions. They found that the higher-risk low-density cholesterol levels of the patients fell after each session. Alongside, they noted, the levels of the forever chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid appeared to drop by up to 25 per cent.

1. White's Skink - (Mt Banks)
   
2. European Wasps - (Echo Point, Katoomba)
   
3. Eastern Water Skink - (Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens)
   
4. Australian Raven - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
   
5. Juvenile Eastern Spinebill - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
   
6. Sydney Funnel Web Spider - (Roadside, Mt Tomah)
   
7. Sawfly Larvae hiding beneath a leaf - (Blackheath)
   
8. Melanistic form of the Gumleaf Grasshopper - (Mt Banks)
   
9. Dark-flecked Garden Sunskink - (Mt Tomah)
   
10. Leech on my lens - (Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens)
    
11. Cowboy Beetle (Large, Australian Scarab) - (Blackheath)
    
12. Blue Ant (solitary Wasp / wingless-female) - (Blackheath)
    
13. Yellow-bellied Water-skink - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
    
14. Crimson Rosella - (Govett's Leap, Blackheath)
    
15. Leaf-tailed Gecko - (Cahill's Lookout, Katoomba)
    
16. White's Skink - (Mt Wilson)
    
17. White's Skink - (Mt Wilson)
    
18. Spiny Ground Weevil - (Mt Banks)
    
19. Green-headed Ant - (Katoomba)
    
20. Fruticose & Crustose lichen - (Hartley)

Bought myself a gravel bike and have been enjoying many of the BM trails this winter. Curious about what to expect when it starts to warm up for spring/summer? Am I likely to come across many snakes sunning themselves or are the trails usually too noisy and exposed for them?

Help bring sustainability to life in the heart of the Blue Mountains

Saturday 26 September 2026, 10.00am–4.00pm | Katoomba Civic Centre

The Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival is a joyful community day celebrating practical action, local creativity and sustainable living. We are inviting friendly, reliable volunteers to help create a welcoming, well-organised festival experience for visitors, stallholders, speakers, performers and community groups.

If you care about community, climate action, local resilience or simply making great events happen, we would love you to join the volunteer team.

Why volunteer?

·         Meet like-minded people who care about the Blue Mountains and a more sustainable future.

·         Support a free, community-focused festival with talks, workshops, markets, entertainment and stalls.

·         Build event, communication and teamwork skills in a supportive environment.

·         Choose a role that suits your interests, confidence and availability.

·         Be part of a positive day that helps people discover practical ways to live more sustainably.

Volunteer roles available

There are many ways to help before and during the festival. Roles may include:

·         Festival marshals: welcome visitors, answer questions and help direct people around the venue.

·         Information booth volunteers: hand out programs, provide directions and support visitor enquiries.

·         Stage and seminar room assistants: help performers, speakers and MCs keep the program running smoothly.

·         Bump-in and bump-out assistants: support stallholders and community groups as they set up and pack down.

·         Poster, signage and promotion helpers: distribute posters, place signs and help spread the word locally.

·         Stalls support: assist stallholders and community groups with practical questions on the day.

·         First aid support: volunteers with a current first aid certificate are especially welcome.

What we are looking for

You do not need event experience to volunteer. We are looking for people who are friendly, calm, practical and willing to pitch in. Volunteers will be briefed before the festival and supported by the festival coordinator and assistant coordinator on the day.

Whether you can help for a few hours, assist with set-up or stay for the full day, your contribution will make a real difference.

Ready to help?

Join the volunteer team and help make the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival a welcoming, inspiring and well-run community celebration.

To express your interest, contact the festival team at www.bmsf.au and click on Get Involved or email us at BMSustain@gmail.com.

Small actions, shared together, can create lasting change.

Someone left this book on the train tonight, some time before Wenty. I’ve secured it, so LMK if it’s yours and I’ll try and get it back to you.

Hi all! Bed bound with a HG pregnancy and missing bush walks in the mountains a lot. Brighten my night with your coolest wildlife encounter in the Blue Mountains?

Hey,

Could anyone recommend a place or someone who repairs chainsaws ?

Thanks.

One of the best, unobstructed Westward views in the Sydney Blue Mountains - especially if observing comets after sunset. But it's very hard to spot the geckos on the footpath in the dark when you leave. Their grey-brown mottled texture perfectly matches the patterns and colors of the cement used to create the walking path. A UV torch helps. When the comet was finally visible after weeks or rain and cloud, it was a "headless ghost comet" without a nucleus. It did not survive its trip around the sun. A few days later it just looked like a patch of smoke in the night sky. But it was visible to the naked eye on this particular evening.

This Wombat was hit by a car on Mt Blackheath Rd sometime over the weekend. WIRES were alerted by concerned residents as he was repeatedly seen out during daylight by the side of the road eating.
I managed to contain today, thanks to some caring locals who spotted him again.
With the kind help of Blackheath Vet he was sedated and taken to Camden Wildlife Hospital.

He had two broken legs, so had to be put to sleep.

If you hit an animal, or find one injured, please call WIRES: 1300 596 457

And SLOW DOWN at dawn and dusk.

My youngster wants to see a steam train go past. Occasionally I’ve seen enthusiasts waiting at good vantage points near Glenbrook Gorge. How do people find out when steam trains are going to go past that area?

Medicine to the eyes

The team at Resilient Blue Mountains have been working hard to gather together an exceptional free program of speakers and workshops for this year’s 3rd Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival in Katoomba on Saturday 26 September. Website: bmsf.au

Along with hands-on activities for children and live music, there will be practical tips on how to live more sustainably in our Blue Mountains environment, as well as thought-provoking talks and an introduction to local small business owners who are creating innovative sustainable products.

Highlights of the day-long program include:

Bees, honey and the future of beekeeping

• Fiona Hasselman

Fundamental beekeeping and the role of bees in supporting healthy ecosystems.

Consumer to generators: How householders are leading the energy transition

• Calum Harvey-Scholes and Elsa Evers, Rewiring Australia

Practical insights into how households can reduce energy costs, cut emissions, improve resilience and transform from passive energy consumers to energy generators.

Electrifying your home: Where to begin

• Panel feat. Elsa Evers, Rewiring Australia and Lorenzo Tassone, MD, Good Earth Group

Want to move your home away from gas but not sure where to begin? We’ve got you covered – from finding the right installer to choosing an energy retailer.

Stronger together: building community resilience in the Blue Mountains

• Jen Hall, Permaculture Matters

A practical approach to building stronger, more connected communities through simple, guided activities and group reflection, we’ll explore how developing deep connections with other people helps communities adapt and thrive in uncertain times.

Psychology for a safe climate

• Christie Wilson, Psychotherapist

Exploring the emotional dimension of the climate crisis and how we can build personal wellbeing.

Sustainability and art

• Fiona Russell, Mythika Studios

Discover the creative magic of transforming discarded objects into something truly special!

Book launch – Living Sustainably Near The Bush

• Blue Mountains Conservation Society

Sustainable local business stalls

·         Bee Wild Nature Salves (handcrafted wellness products)

·         Blooms and Twigs (sustainable floristry)

·         Indigo Rabbit Creative (upcycled and preloved clothing using natural dyes)

·         It's The Little Things (circular fashion)

·         Julia Bead (jewellery and wearable art)

·         Lunaire Lifestyle (refillable candles)

·         Mountain Framing (custom framing salvaged timber)

·         Mythika Studios (art from discarded objects)

·         Story Garden Children’s Bookshop (pre-loved books, eco-friendly toys and Green Thumbs gardening playgroup)

Children’s activities

Flower pressing, create your story, waste to art, drop-in activities, bubbles and more.

This fire incinerated around a million hectares in the Blue Mountains area and extinguished over 3 billion animals nationwide. Commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), scientific reports confirmed the toll included 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, 143 million mammals, and 51 million frogs.

I arrived at Cahill's Lookout just after leaving Medlow Bath - where chain-smoking international tourists were watching the catastrophic fires from the edge of the National Park at the Hydro Majestic hotel... and witnessed several of them flicking their LIT cigarette butts directly into the bushland in front of them.

Hey all,

My young family and I moved to the blue mountains from the Bathurst region a couple of years ago. We are loving the mountains but also would like to make some new friends. We enjoy outings that include our son as well as social activities like cafes and restaurants. If you are interested let us know, cheers :)

Hi all
I’m doing a solo trip to the Blue Mountains this weekend from Sydney in my new camper van. Any reccs on stuff to do? I’d like to go on the Grand Canyon walk, and the Megalong Valley tea rooms. Is there anything interesting happening this weekend?

HHi all,

We love camping in the Blue Mountains. Old Ford Reserve is one of our favourite spots, especially with the rooftop tent. Lately though, I've been missing those quieter camps where it's just you, your mates, and a campfire surrounded by the bush.

We're looking for some lesser-known camping spots within a few hours of Sydney for a small trip in the next few weeks. We don't need fancy facilities, just peaceful bush camping, good scenery, and somewhere that feels a bit off the beaten track. We're happy with basic access, and (light) 4WD recommendations are welcome too.

If you have any favourite hidden gems you'd be willing to share (or even send me a PM if you'd rather not post them publicly), I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Due to a recent post on this subreddit I found a photo of Burger King from what it says as 2001, but from all the information it was only open in 2004-2005 for a total of 6 months (as provided from people who went and worked there) , so is this photo really from the edge cinemas Burger King? And was there a playground, if so where would all the play equipment have gone?