UK Authorities Demand Action on Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water
UK regulators have ordered seven major water companies to address high levels of toxic 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) found in water sources serving over 6 million people. Since 2021, companies must monitor for 47 PFAS types, and enforcement notices have been issued when safe limits are exceeded. Experts and industry groups call for tighter, legally binding limits, a ban on PFAS production, and for polluters to fund cleanup, citing health risks including cancer and developmental problems.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) in England and Wales has issued 23 enforcement notices over the past four years to seven water companies—Affinity Water, Anglian Water, South West Water, Wessex Water, United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, and South Staffordshire Water—due to the presence of potentially harmful levels of 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) in untreated water sources. These chemicals, used in products like non-stick cookware and firefighting foam, are linked to serious health issues including cancer, reproductive problems, and immune system impacts. More than 1.7 million tests have revealed at least 9,432 instances where PFAS levels in the UK water network were high enough to warrant warnings as a potential danger to human health. The current UK safety limit for individual PFAS is 0.01 micrograms per litre (ug/L), which is stricter than the EU standard but still 2.5 times higher than new US limits. When a source is found to breach this threshold, companies must increase monitoring, upgrade treatment, or sometimes close the source, with sanctions potentially lasting years. While the DWI assures consumers that UK tap water is safe, due to comprehensive monitoring and research, the Royal Society of Chemistry and Water UK argue for even stricter, legally binding limits, a ban on PFAS production, and for chemical manufacturers—not water companies—to bear the cost of cleanup. There are currently no environmental permit limits for industrial PFAS emissions, raising concerns that unchecked pollution could lead to further contamination.
