Recent Environment Agency data shows river concentrations of PFOS and PFOA dropped by around 30% over the last decade following targeted usage bans. Because the resilient compounds take exceptionally long to degrade, regulators caution that the pollutants have largely been diluted into marine waters rather than eliminated. To tackle persistent risks, the government intends to track chemical concentrations directly in humans while routinely testing waterways for 60 other substances in the wider PFAS family.
Key points
National restrictions placed on PFOS in 2010 and PFOA in 2020 successfully curtailed fres…: National restrictions placed on PFOS in 2010 and PFOA in 2020 successfully curtailed freshwater contamination.
The overall environmental load of these chemicals remains unchanged because the substance…: The overall environmental load of these chemicals remains unchanged because the substances largely wash into the ocean.
The chemicals industry strongly opposes collective PFAS regulations, citing limited toxic…: The chemicals industry strongly opposes collective PFAS regulations, citing limited toxicity evidence and essential applications in medical equipment.
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Levels of the two most toxic "forever" chemicals in England's rivers have dropped by nearly a third over the last decade, according to new figures from the Environment Agency (EA).
The decline in the chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, has been put down to stricter restrictions on their use in products after increasing evidence emerged of their damaging impact on human health and the environment.
One expert studying the impact of the chemicals said it was "brilliant" to see how far the UK has come on this issue.
Thousands of other forever chemicals, known officially as PFAS, remain in use but the regulator said its report showed the need for them all to be better monitored and regulated.
PFAS were first developed in the 1930s in the US and became popular with companies making products like frying pans and firefighting foam because of their useful, oil-resistant, water-resistant and electrical properties.
They are called forever chemicals because their natural resistance means they take a very long time to break down naturally.
The earliest types of these chemicals were called PFOS…
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