Heightened concern has emerged over the permissible levels of persistent synthetic chemicals, known as PFAS, in UK’s drinking water as scientists sound alarms over potential health risks. Long-term exposure to these ‘forever chemicals’, commonly used in everyday products like non-stick cookware and waterproof clothing, have been associated with alarming health conditions such as cancer and fertility problems.
The Royal Society of Chemistry, a reputed scientific body, has called upon the government authorities to strengthen their existing regulations in line with other countries where stricter limits have been applied. Despite government reassurances of “exceptionally high” safety standards, concerns persist over ongoing exposure risks.
Used for their unique water-resistant properties, the PFAS group is vast and encompasses more than 9,000 different chemicals. These pollutants make their way into our water sources through the breakdown of everyday items that have been treated with these chemicals.
Currently, UK water companies are mandated to test for 47 PFAS types and are guided to stop usage for drinking if high-risk levels, as defined by the UK’s drinking water inspectorate, are met. However, the lack of legal enforcement, combined with the fact that many other types of PFAS remain untested, points to an exposed gap in safety measures.
Lowering the accepted levels of PFAS pollutants by ten times and introducing tests for all types represents the steps proposed by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Such strengthened measures would see UK aligning more closely with the upcoming, more rigid regulations in the US and the EU.
Explaining the urgency for revision, Stephanie Metzger, a policy adviser at the Royal Society of Chemistry, points to the evolving science. The previous recommendation of 100 nanograms per litre has been under increasing scrutiny as more and more research implies potential health effects at even lower exposure levels.
Water in the UK falls under the medium-risk category if levels of PFAS range between 10 and 100 nanograms. While regular tests are conducted in such scenarios, the usage of the water for drinking purposes is not restrained.
Dr David Megson, a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, emphasised the inconsistent risk levels across different water sources, which he found to be disconcerting. Since conventional water treatment methods fail to fully eliminate PFAS, blending water from various sources to dilute the concentration is usually the pragmatic approach.
According to data from the open-source Forever Chemicals mapping project, one-third of the water routes in England and Wales register medium-risk levels of PFAS, with less than 5% deemed as high risk. Additionally, the repercussions of these ‘forever chemicals’ on aquatic wildlife are yet another growing cause for concern.
In response to these revelations, the government has been urged by the Royal Society of Chemistry to establish a national inventory for PFAS and set up a national chemistry regulator. A representative of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs assured that work is in progress to measure PFAS presence in the environment, assess their sources, and gauge potential hazards to inform future policy.
As a response, Water UK, the representative association of the water industry, reiterates that UK continues to offer drinking water of the highest quality worldwide, abiding by stringent safety standards.
