Significant drop in levels of toxic 'forever' chemicals in England's rivers

Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in English rivers have dropped by 30% and 29% respectively over the past 10 years, the Environment Agency reported on Thursday. The decline follows stricter restrictions on the chemicals after evidence linked them to tissue damage in animals and increased rates of serious health conditions such as testicular cancer. PFOS was all but banned in the UK in 2010 and PFOA in 2020. Dr David Megson, reader in environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University, said it was "brilliant to see how far we have come in the last 10 years."

PFAS were first developed in the 1930s in the US and became popular in products like frying pans and firefighting foam because of their 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. There are thought to be around 15,000 other PFAS, although only around 200 are frequently used.

The EA said that despite increasing research, "uncertainty remains regarding the toxicity of many PFAS" and its findings "reinforces the need" for regulating all PFAS rather than one by one. The chemicals industry has opposed such an approach, arguing there is currently no or limited evidence that other PFAS are toxic and that some have vital uses such as in life-saving medical equipment. The regulator is now regularly testing for 60 other PFAS to build a picture of contamination, and earlier this month the government announced it would begin monitoring levels in people's bodies.

The EA report acknowledged that while concentration levels had fallen, because the chemicals take so long to break down, the overall amount still in the environment is likely to have remained unchanged — they have simply been diluted and been washed into the sea. "There is a lot to do, and this report provides an essential foundation to support investigations to make the polluters pay for any damage they have caused," said Megson. One of the few ways to permanently destroy PFAS is by high-temperature incineration; there are currently just two such suitable sites in the country.