U.K. ministers are being pressured to tighten PFAS “forever chemical” rules as research shows large numbers of people are drinking water at levels that would be banned in the U.S.
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that they would reduce the acceptable limit for perfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS and PFOA) in drinking water to four nanograms/litre (4ng/l). The president also proposed regulating four chemicals – PFNA, PFHXS, PFBS, and GenX chemicals – as mixtures.
Drinking water inspectorate guidelines allow levels of PFOS and PFOA in drinking water to be 25 times higher, up to 100ng/l, and by 2021 that limit for PFOA would be 5,000ng/l, while for PFOS, it would be 1,000ng/l.
Baroness Bakewell, the environment spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, said: “I think Americans have this right, and we’ve gone way out of step.” “It seems absurd that we’re determined to poison the population. The government thinks it’s on top of everything, but it’s not, and it’s not willing to move forward with the environment.”
Former Green Party leader Carolyn Lucas agreed. A cocktail of toxic chemicals continues to pollute our rivers and oceans, poisoning our water supplies and posing grave threats to human health, marine and wildlife. Yet the U.K.’s chemical pollution limits are shamefully lagging behind international standards. Put an end to this chemical crisis now by adopting more stringent regulations.
PFAS are a group of about 10,000 substances used in many consumer products for their non-stick properties in industrial processes. They can accumulate in the body and become toxic if they do not disappear into the background. They are widely distributed in the environment and are known as “forever chemicals.”
“Communities across [the United States] have long suffered from the ever-present threat of PFAS contamination. That’s why President Biden has launched a whole-of-government approach to address these harmful chemicals aggressively, and EPA is leading the way in the future.”
The new limits “have the potential to prevent thousands of PFAS-related illnesses and mark a major step toward protecting all our communities from these dangerous contaminants,” Regan added.
Data from water bodies and environmental agencies analyzed by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations showed that around 1,900 samples of drinking water sources taken from across the country contained PFOS or PFOA above the recommended U.S. limit of 4ng/l. The total “less than 10ng/l” is probably higher because many samples are reported in the band.
In her opinion, some of the data collected in the study for PFOS and PFOA detection limits are significantly higher than the US EPA’s regulations. Given the EPA’s findings on human health concerning these PFAS compounds, are the UK DWI procedures appropriate?”
According to Tony Fletcher, an epidemiologist at the Tropical Medicine and London School of Hygiene, the U.S. proposals “reflect a trend toward tighter regulation.” Many U.S. states and European regulators continue to set stricter limits than the old ones, and Britain currently has a 100ng/l limit.
“Data has recently been collected on PFAS exposure in all drinking water supplies across Britain. With restrictions such as the EPA’s, I hope the U.K. will follow suit on both of these and reduce the permitted levels, but we also need limits. PFAS is large New compounds keep appearing throughout the family.
According to Natalie Bennett of the Green Party, “governments claim to follow the precautionary principle, and we hear empty claims that we are leading the world in environmental standards, but that isn’t the case.”
“A rapidly growing field, these perennial chemicals are linked to reduced fertility, increased cholesterol levels, and developmental problems in children of human and environmental health concern. The U.S. is responding with a major tightening of standards, and the U.K. should follow.”
According to a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, drinking water standards in the U.K. are among the best in the world. Water bodies must conduct regular risk assessments and sampling to ensure water supplies remain safe from PFAS.
According to a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, drinking water standards in the U.K. are among the best in the world. Water bodies must conduct regular risk assessments and sampling to ensure water supplies remain safe from PFAS.
Since the 2000s, we have increased surveillance of PFASs and taken steps to ban or highly restrict certain PFASs domestically and internationally. In addition to paying close attention to international policy developments, such as the EPA’s proposals regarding PFAS in drinking water, we continue to work across the government to assess PFAS levels in the environment. In the spring, we will publish an analysis examining the risks and make recommendations to inform future PFAS policy.”
