A BBC News item reports that seven UK water companies have been issued with enforcement notices requiring them to take action on potentially harmful concentrations of PFAS ‘Forever chemicals’ in water supplies to an estimated 6 million people.
The cases were identified through analysis of Freedom of Information requests to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, carried out by the BBC in conjunction with the Watershed group investigative journalists.
Although the number of results of concern is relatively small – about ten thousand out of the 1.7 million tests carried out since they were introduced in 2021 – this is the first evidence of direct impact on UK drinking water supplies. Scientists and others have been warning of the spread of these chemicals for some time, however, including in rivers and in wastewater biosolids applied to land. As with most pollution problems, control at source is the best approach: but such measures need a long time to take effect once these slowly-degrading compounds and their progenitors are out in the environment. EBNet is contributing both by raising awareness of the issues, and seeking to identify advanced treatment solutions.
Dr Tao Lyu, who leads EBNet’s PFAS WG, said: ‘Public concerns about PFAS continue to grow and indeed require swifter action. It is encouraging to see the results of the European flagship Water4All programme, which has recently announced a new PFAS treatment project with the UK as one of the key players – although for now these are still physico-chemical rather tan biological treatment systems’.
For more about our work on PFAS watch the short animation and the joint EBNet/EBIC workshop videos, read the EBNet POC202413 outline report, or contact the PFAS WG.
