Ministers told to get a grip on scale of ‘forever chemicals’ pollution in UK

In the UK, the highest levels of PFAS were found in a discharge on the River Wyre. Photograph: Nick Jenkins/Alamy

The UK government must get a grip on the scale of “forever chemicals” polluting rivers and seas and threatening human and animal health, the Green MP Caroline Lucas has said.

The Guardian has revealed that high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as forever chemicals, have been found at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe in a major mapping project.