PFAS or PFOS are a family of about 10,000 chemicals which do not occur in nature – they are also known as forever chemicals.
These man-made chemicals can be found in a wide range of consumer and industrial products.
They have been called forever chemicals due to their long lifespan, meaning they can accumulate in the environment and human tissue and may be toxic.
These pollutants have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe, a mapping project has revealed.
In the map, the forever chemicals have been found in the environment, making their way into water, sediments, and soils from consumer products, waste, and industrial processes and firefighting foams.
A high number of dangerous health outcomes have been associated with forever chemicals.
These include kidney, liver, and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, pregnancy-induced hypertension, immunotoxicity, and high cholesterol.
The substances have been found at roughly 17,000 sites across UK and Europe and have been detected at high concentrations of around 1,000 nanograms a litre of water at about 640 sites and above 10,000ng/l at 300 locations.
Which areas have the highest levels of forever chemicals?
In the UK, the highest levels of pollution were found in Blackpool.
This was found in a discharge from a chemical plant on the River Wyre, with the fish in the river found to have high levels of PFAS.
In Europe, the highest levels of pollution were found in Belgium.
This was found in groundwater at concentrations up to 73m ng/l around 3M’s PFAS manufacturing site in Zwijndrecht, Flanders.
Forever chemicals in water
Data obtained from water companies and the Environment Agency by the Guardian and Watershed have found around 120 samples of drinking water sources were contaminated with forever chemicals since 2016.
The water was found to be above the 100ng/l level – the point at which the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s (DWI) guidelines state that water companies should take action in reducing it.
A Defra spokesperson has warned that the UK had “very high standards” for drinking water and that water companies were “required to carry out regular risk assessments and sampling for PFAS to ensure the drinking water supply remains safe”.
What products contain forever chemicals?
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, products containing PFOS include:
- Paints, varnishes, and sealants
- Personal care products (shampoo, dental floss) and cosmetics (eye makeup and nail polish)
- Cleaning products
- Water-resistant clothing
- Stai- resistant coatings used on upholstery, carpets, and other fabrics.
- Some grease-resistant paper, fast-food containers/wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers.
