Toxic Pfas above proposed safety limits in almost all English waters tested | Pfas
Almost all rivers, lakes and ponds in England have tested a range of PFA, called “chemicals forever”, exceed the new security limits offered and 85% contain levels of at least five times higher, reveals the analysis of official data.
On 117 bodies of water tested by the Environment Agency for several types of PFAS, 110 would fail the standard of security, according to the analysis by Wildlife and Countryside Link and The Rivers Trust.
They also found SPFO levels – a carcinogenic APF prohibited – in fish was on average 322 times higher than the limits provided for fauna. If only one part of these freshwater fish was consumed each month, this would exceed the sure threshold of the SPFOs so that people can consume more than a year, according to NGOs.
PFAs, or per- and polyfluoroalkyle substances, are a group of thousands of chemicals made by humans used in industrial processes and products such as non-stick pots, clothes and fire-fighting foams. They do not decompose in the environment and some are linked to diseases, including cancers and hormonal disturbances.
Polution of the PFAS is widespread, which has prompted the EU to offer a new standard of water quality which limits the combined toxicity from 24 pfas to 4.4 nanograms per liter of water, calculated as PFOA equivalents – a method which weighs each substance according to its toxicity relative to PFOA, a particularly dangerous and very dangerous carcinogen which is now banal.
The EU also plans to regulate around 10,000 APF in a single class, because there is too much to assess on a case-by-case basis and because none is breaking into the environment, but the United Kingdom does not intend to follow the step.
Last week, environmental groups, led by the Society Conservation Marine, wrote to ministers, urging the ban on all APFs in consumer products and a chronology to eliminate them in all other uses. Now, public health and nature groups have united their forces to propose urgent measures to slow down pollution.
“Scientists continue to identify APFs as one of the greatest threats of our time, but the United Kingdom is late in other countries to restrict them,” said Hannah Evans of the Fidra environmental charity. “Each day of inaction locks in decades of pollution and environmental damage … We ask the British government to deactivate the tap of these chemicals forever persistent.”
They say that the United Kingdom should line up with PFAS restrictions based on the EU group and prohibit substances in food packaging, clothing, cosmetics, toys and foams to fight fires, after examples of Denmark, France and the EU. They want better surveillance, more difficult water and floor standards and to ensure that polluters cover the cost of cleaning PFAS.
Emma Adler, director of the impact on fauna and the Countryside bond, said: “APFs are linked to an explosion of impacts on fauna and public health, from cancers to immune problems. These new figures highlight how widespread PFAS pollution is and that PFAS regulations must be a much clearer priority in government missions to clean the rich British and improve national health. ”
Thalie Martini, director general of Breast Cancer UK, said: “The evidence indicates that some APFs are linked to health problems, in particular by increasing the risk of breast cancer … millions of families affected by this disease will wish that the government does everything they can to provide more difficult APFA rules to protect our health.”
Last year, 59 PFAS experts urged the government to follow science and regulate all APFs as a single class, warning their extreme persistence – regardless of toxicity – posed a serious environmental threat.
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“Countries like France and Denmark, the EU as a whole and many American states have taken solid measures against PFAS pollution,” said Dr. Francesca Ginley of the Society Conservation Marine. “The moment is now possible for the United Kingdom to take a stand and show the leadership we need on the pollution of the Source PFA at sea.”
Dr. Shubhi Sharma of Charity Chem Trust said: “Too often, with dangerous chemicals, the world has ignored the early warnings of damage and lessons learned far too late. Costs to combat APFA in the environment and health impacts have an economic price of several billion pounds … The government must not delay. “
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said that science on PFAS was evolving rapidly and that it directed a multi-year program to improve understanding of PFAS pollution sources in England. They added: “We screen the sites to identify the potential sources of pollution of APFs and prioritize more in -depth investigations, while assessing how additional control measures could reduce the risk of APF in the environment.”
A spokesperson for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department said: “The government has committed to protecting human health and the environment against the risks posed by PFA. This is why we work at the rate with regulators to assess PFA levels in the environment, their sources and potential risks to clarify our approach to policy and regulation. ”
