News | Wednesday, 18th October 2023
UK drinking water standards called out over ‘forever chemicals’ risk
University research contributes to analysis from the Royal Society of Chemistry
Drinking water standards in the UK must be overhauled after more than a third of water courses tested in England and Wales contained ‘forever chemicals’.
Expertise from Manchester Met featured in a new report from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) on PFAS chemicals.
It showed there were medium or high-risk levels in a third of the tests for this group of widely used and enduring chemicals.
PFAS have been linked to a range of serious adverse health conditions including testicular cancer, thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels, liver damage and fertility issues, as well as damaging the development of unborn children.
The RSC is now calling on the government to cap PFAS concentration levels.
Dr David Megson, Reader in Chemistry and Environmental Forensics at Manchester Met, was part of the RSC report team.
He said: “I welcome the calls from the RSC for us to do more to tackle PFAS pollution and raise awareness of this important issue. The suggestions put forward would help bring our regulations more in line with those in the United States and Europe.
“There are hundreds of types of PFAS in the environment, which means we should not just be focusing on a limited number and need to consider PFAS collectively. I would like confidence that the water I am drinking poses a low risk and the RSC have proposed sensible steps to allow this to happen.
“The launch of an interactive map is also a great feature as it gives us all an opportunity to see what PFAS levels are like near us and enables us to engage with MPs to call for action.”
Taking action
Millions of people interact with PFAS every day as they are used to add qualities such as non-stick coatings to pans, stain-proofing to furniture and can also be found in batteries.
The RSC is calling on the government to reduce the cap on PFAS concentration levels that require immediate water treatment with its #CleanUpPFAS campaign, saying the current limits do not go far enough.
At present, 35% and 37% of English and Welsh water courses that were tested contain a medium or high-risk level of PFOS and PFOA respectively – which are just two types of PFAS out of the thousands that exist.
The RSC is pushing for a tenfold reduction of the current cap per individual PFAS type – from 100 nanograms per litre to 10 nanograms per litre – as well as an overall limit of 100 nanograms per litre for the total amount of PFAS.
The RSC’s interactive map allows anyone to look at the levels of PFAS in their local waterways and the society is calling on people to write to their MP to demand change and pass stricter statutory drinking water standards.
Samples from the River Thames have recorded the highest PFAS concentrations in the country, while water sources in all regions of England and Wales contain levels of PFAS that the Drinking Water Inspectorate classifies as either medium or high risk.
The RSC has also warned that a lack of cohesion among government departments and agencies is a major barrier to effective chemicals regulation in the UK and recommends the establishment of a National Chemicals Agency.
To access the interactive map and find out more about the RSC’s #CleanUpPFAS campaign, visit: rsc.li/PFAS.
