Levels of the two most toxic 'forever' chemicals in England's rivers have fallen by nearly a third over the last decade, according to new figures from the Environment Agency (EA).
The decline in PFOS and PFOA, the earliest types of PFAS chemicals, has been attributed to stricter limits on their use in products, following growing evidence of links to tissue damage in animals and increased rates of serious health conditions such as testicular cancer.
The EA data, published on Thursday, shows concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in English rivers fell by 30% and 29% respectively over the past ten years. Levels in freshwater fish dropped by 49%.
Dr David Megson, reader in environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "It's brilliant to see how far we have come in the last 10 years."
PFOS was all but banned in the UK in 2010, and PFOA in 2020. However, thousands of other PFAS, there are thought to be around 15,000, though only about 200 are frequently used, remain in use. The EA said its findings "reinforces the need" for regulating all PFAS rather than one by one.
The chemicals industry has long opposed such a blanket approach, arguing there is currently no, or limited, evidence to suggest other PFAS are toxic and that some have vital uses, such as in life-saving medical equipment.
The EA acknowledged that while concentrations have fallen, the total amount of these chemicals in the environment is likely unchanged because they take so long to break down, they have simply been diluted and washed into the sea.
The regulator is now regularly testing for 60 other PFAS to build a picture of contamination across the country. Earlier this month, the government announced it would begin monitoring levels in people's bodies.
Megson said: “There is a lot to do, and this report provides an essential foundation to support investigations to make the polluters pay for any damage they have caused.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The drop shows that regulatory restrictions can reduce concentrations of highly persistent chemicals in the environment, offering a model for tackling other PFAS.
- PFOS and PFOA are linked to serious health conditions, so declining levels in rivers and fish could mean lower long-term health risks for the public.
- The finding puts pressure on the government and industry to address the thousands of other forever chemicals still in use, with monitoring now expanding to human bodies.
Background
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were first developed in the 1930s in the US and became widely used in products such as non-stick frying pans and firefighting foam because of their oil-resistant, water-resistant and electrical properties. They are called "forever chemicals" because they take a very long time to break down naturally. In England, PFOS was all but banned in 2010 and PFOA in 2020, after research linked them to tissue damage in animals and increased rates of certain cancers.
Key Perspectives
Environment Agency: says its findings "reinforces the need" for regulating all PFAS rather than one by one, and that uncertainty remains about the toxicity of many PFAS.
Chemicals industry: has opposed blanket regulation, arguing there is no or limited evidence that other PFAS are toxic and that some are vital, such as in life-saving medical equipment.
Dr David Megson (Manchester Metropolitan University): called the progress "brilliant" and said the report provides an essential foundation to make polluters pay for any damage they have caused.
What to Watch
- The government's rollout of human biomonitoring for PFAS, announced earlier this month, and what initial results show about population exposure.
- Whether the EA's regular testing for 60 other PFAS uncovers hotspots or widespread contamination that could trigger further regulatory action.
- The fate of the two high-temperature incineration sites in England, currently the only way to permanently destroy PFAS, and whether additional capacity will be built.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe levels of the two most toxic “forever” chemicals in England’s rivers fell by nearly a third over the last decade.BBC News: “Levels of the two most toxic "forever" chemicals in England's rivers have dropped by nearly a third over the last decade”
- SupportedEA data shows river concentrations of PFOS and PFOA fell by 30% and 29%, respectively, over ten years.BBC News: “the concentrations in English rivers of PFOS and PFOA over the last ten years have now fallen by 30% and 29% respectively.”
- SupportedThe decline has been attributed to stricter restrictions on the chemicals’ use in products.BBC News: “The decline in the chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, has been put down to stricter restrictions on their use in products”
- SupportedDr David Megson said, “It's brilliant to see how far we have come in the last 10 years.”BBC News: “"It's brilliant to see how far we have come in the last 10 years," said Dr David Megson, reader in environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University.”
- SupportedMegson said the report provides an essential foundation for investigations to make polluters pay for damage they caused.BBC News: “"There is a lot to do, and this report provides an essential foundation to support investigations to make the polluters pay for any damage they have caused," said Megson.”
- SupportedThe EA said its findings “reinforces the need” to regulate all PFAS rather than one by one.BBC News: “It said its findings "reinforces the need" for regulating all PFAS rather than one by one.”
- SupportedThe earliest types of PFAS were PFOS and PFOA, and research linked them to tissue damage in animals and increased rates of serious health conditions such as testicular cancer.BBC News: “The earliest types of these chemicals were called PFOS and PFOA. But two decades ago researchers started to find that they were linked to tissue damage in animals and increased rates of certain serious health conditions such as testicular cancer.”
- SupportedPFOS was all but banned in the UK in 2010 and PFOA in 2020.BBC News: “As a result, PFOS was all but banned in the UK in 2010 and PFOA in 2020.”
- SupportedThere are thought to be around 15,000 other PFAS, with only around 200 frequently used.BBC News: “There are thought to be around 15,000 other PFAS, although only around 200 are frequently used.”
- SupportedThe chemicals industry has long opposed a blanket approach, arguing that evidence of toxicity for other PFAS is absent or limited and some have vital uses.BBC News: “The chemicals industry has long opposed such an approach, arguing that there is currently no, or limited, evidence to suggest that other PFAS are toxic and that some have vital uses such as in life-saving medical equipment.”
- SupportedThe EA report says the overall amount of the chemicals in the environment is likely unchanged because they break down slowly and have been diluted and washed into the sea.BBC News: “because the chemicals take so long to break down, the overall amount still in the environment is likely to have remained unchanged - they have simply been diluted and been washed into the sea.”
- SupportedThe regulator is regularly testing for 60 other PFAS, and the government announced earlier this month that it would begin monitoring levels in people’s bodies.BBC News: “The regulator is now regularly testing for 60 other PFAS to build a picture of contamination across the country, and earlier this month the government announced it would begin monitoring levels in people's bodies.”
