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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Leana Hosea and Rachel Salvidge

Cost to clean up toxic PFAS pollution could top £1.6tn in UK and Europe

PFAS can commonly be found in nonstick pans among  other items like pizza boxes, cosmetics and waterproof clothing.
PFAS can commonly be found in nonstick pans among other items like pizza boxes, cosmetics and waterproof clothing. Photograph: niuniu/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The cost of cleaning up toxic forever chemical pollution could reach more than £1.6tn across the UK and Europe over a 20-year period, an annual bill of £84bn, research has found.

The number of British pollution hotspots is also on the rise. If emissions remain unrestricted and uncontrolled, the costs of cleanup will reach £9.9bn a year in the UK, according to the findings of a year-long investigation by the Forever Lobbying Project, a cross-border investigation involving 46 journalists and 18 experts across 16 countries.

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