"Endless Trouble: England's Drinking Water Infused with Forever Chemicals"

Endless Trouble: England's Drinking Water Infused with Forever Chemicals [SWOP NEWS]

The "Forever Chemicals" in England's Tap Water:

England's raw drinking water sources are surprisingly rich in toxic "forever chemicals," or PFAS, recent analyses have revealed, sparking a demand for a ban on these substances from the water industry. Regions served by Affinity Water and Anglian Water are significantly impacted, leading many to fear we could be gravely underestimating the size of the problem.

What are these Forever Chemicals, Exactly?:

PFAS, boasting more than 10,000 variants, are called "forever chemicals" due their stubbornness to break down in the environment. Two variants, PFOS and PFOA, are banned due to their links to cancers, thyroid disease, and immune and fertility issues. However, the toxicity of the remaining variants remains unknown. PFAS are used extensively in a variety of consumer goods, industrial processes, and firefighting foams, leading to pollution in the air, soil, water, wildlife, and even in human blood.

What's Being Done?

Water UK, an industry body, has issued a request for a ban on PFAS and the establishment of a national plan to remove these chemicals from the environment, paid for by manufacturers. The EU is looking to regulate all PFAS variants together, but the PFAS industry is lobbying against it, and the UK currently has no similar plans.

The Source of the Problem:

Airports, military sites, chemical manufacturers, sewage treatment plants, fire stations and fire training facilities, and many other industries and locations, are all major sources of PFAS pollution. Contaminated sewage sludge spread on farmland also contributes significantly to soil and water contamination. A report for the Environment Agency estimated there could be as many as 10,000 hotspots for PFAS pollutants across the nation.

Current Safety Measures:

PFAS are currently contaminating the untreated drinking water sources across England. This polluted water undergoes treatment, or is mixed with clean water, to ensure it doesn’t reach our taps at hazardous levels. However, despite these measures, the safety thresholds in place for PFAS in the UK are considerably less stringent than in the US or some European nations, leading many to call for tighter regulations.

Collective Action Needed:

To rein in the PFAS contamination problem, the Environment Agency, the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate are working together to investigate sources of PFAS and put forward policy and regulatory solutions. The challenge now lies in translating new guidelines into enforceable laws, giving the regulator Ofwat the defined criteria and the power needed to hold water companies accountable.




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