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CNA
2 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Commentary: What the world needs now is a universal ban on ‘forever chemicals'
LONDON: The more you learn about PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – the worse it gets. Though improvements in monitoring and remediation techniques are welcome, what the world needs first and foremost is a universal ban on the chemicals. In fact, we needed it yesterday. There are more than 10,000 PFAS, also known as ' forever chemicals,' and they're used almost everywhere, including in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, smartphones, packets of microwave popcorn, hair conditioners, firefighting foam, pacemakers, pesticides and dental floss. They don't readily degrade; they also don't stay where we put them. As a result, we can now find PFAS in places such as our blood, human breast milk, Antarctica, wild animals and tap water. In the Netherlands, people have been warned not to eat the eggs from their backyard chickens by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment due to high levels of the chemicals. Though it's not yet clear why home-produced eggs have higher amounts of PFAS than commercial ones, one theory is that earthworms now contain such chemicals, and hens like to eat the worms. An analysis by environmental groups Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Rivers Trust found that nearly all rivers, lakes and ponds in England exceed proposed safety limits, with 85 per cent containing levels at least five times higher. France has banned tap water in 16 communes due to PFAS contamination, while a piece of investigative journalism called the Forever Pollution Project located 23,000 contaminated sites across Europe and a further 21,500 sites of presumptive contamination. I expect we haven't seen the last of the tap water bans. If the scale and extent of the pollution are hard to get your head around, the health implications are worse. PFAS have been linked to increased risk of various types of cancer, fertility problems, birth complications, delays to puberty and weakened immune systems. They've also been associated with increased cholesterol levels and kidney problems. COMPANIES ARE LOBBYING, DRAGGING THEIR FEET We're looking at an issue analogous to climate change – right down to lobbying and cover-ups by PFAS manufacturers. Internal documents from 3M, one of the original and largest producers, and chemical firm DuPont de Nemours revealed that the companies knew the substances were accumulating in people and showing signs of toxicity for decades without telling anyone. While 3M still maintains that their PFAS-containing products are 'safe' for their intended uses in everyday life, in December 2022 the company announced it will discontinue the use of PFAS by the end of 2025. Together, the firms have had to pay billions in lawsuit settlements related to their pollution, with more possibly to come as injury cases hit the courts. As with carbon dioxide, the longer we keep emitting PFAS into the environment, the worse the problem gets and the harder it is to clean up with remediation technologies. While the PFAS market globally is worth just over US$28 billion, the cost of cleaning up all the related pollution in the UK and Europe could be €100 billion (US$116 billion) a year if nothing is done to stem the chemicals' steady flow into the environment. And that doesn't factor in the healthcare costs, which the Nordic Council of Ministers estimates is at least €52 billion annually. Though some consumer brands such as outdoor gear retailer Patagonia and fast-food chain McDonald's have committed to phasing out PFAS from their products and packaging, others have been dragging their feet. A team of researchers, lawyers and journalists has also exposed a huge lobbying campaign against proposed restrictions in Europe, showing entrenched resistance to change. REGULATING ALL PFAS AS A GROUP, NOT INDIVIDUALLY So we need a ban, but so far, we've only seen piecemeal prohibitions targeting either a specific chemical or, in a couple of leading countries, sectors. The import and sale of PFAS-treated clothing, shoes and waterproofing agents will be barred from July 2026 in Denmark, while the chemicals have been banned in paper and board food packaging since 2020. The country has also recently announced a ban on 23 pesticides that can form a very mobile form of PFAS called trifluoroacetic acid. France, meanwhile, has banned PFAS in several consumer product groups, including textiles, cosmetics and ski wax. Cookware, however, has been excluded from the ban after a campaign led by the French maker of Tefal pans, Groupe SEB. Though it's a start, exempting a sector for which safe alternatives are readily available is, frankly, scandalous. A universal ban may be on its way. In 2023, five European Union member states – Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway – submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency, which two scientific committees are now examining. The ban covers both consumer and industrial applications, with time-limited exemptions expected for some uses where there are no alternatives, such as medical devices. What's most significant about the restriction is that it takes a precautionary approach, regulating all 10,000-plus PFAS as a group rather than individually. According to CHEM Trust, a charity focused on harmful synthetic chemicals, under the current rate of regulation that analyses each chemical individually, it would take more than 40,000 years to get through them all. WE KNOW THAT RESTRICTIONS HELP So the EU ban will be a huge step forward with positive impacts beyond its borders. But we'll be waiting a while for it to come into effect – if everything goes smoothly, we're likely looking at 2028 before sectors transition to new rules. Meanwhile, progress elsewhere is pitiful. The United Kingdom government published an interim position on PFAS management in June, but this has been criticised by scientists for opting not to target all chemicals at once and instead creating their own groupings. Not only is this risky, failing to regulate compounds that lack toxicity data, but it lacks urgency. In the United States, the Trump administration has pulled nearly US$15 million in research into PFAS contamination of farmland, while the Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to rescind drinking water limits for four forever chemicals. Of course, even banning the use of all PFAS tomorrow won't do anything for the substances already in our bodies and drinking water. But we know that restrictions help. Two chemicals – PFOS and PFOA – are already banned in Europe. A 2023 study showed that blood concentrations of the chemicals have declined substantially over time in Denmark.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Toxic Pfas above proposed safety limits in almost all English waters tested
Nearly all rivers, lakes and ponds in England tested for a range of Pfas, known as 'forever chemicals', exceed proposed new safety limits and 85% contain levels at least five times higher, analysis of official data reveals. Out of 117 water bodies tested by the Environment Agency for multiple types of Pfas, 110 would fail the safety standard, according to analysis by Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Rivers Trust. They also found levels of Pfos – a banned carcinogenic Pfas – in fish were on average 322 times higher than planned limits for wildlife. If just one portion of such freshwater fish was eaten each month this would exceed the safe threshold of Pfos for people to consume over a year, according to the NGOs. Pfas, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of human-made chemicals used in industrial processes and products such as non-stick pans, clothing and firefighting foams. They do not break down in the environment and some are linked to diseases, including cancers and hormone disruption. Pfas pollution is widespread, prompting the EU to propose a new water quality standard that limits the combined toxicity of 24 Pfas to 4.4 nanograms per litre of water, calculated as PFOA-equivalents – a method that weights each substance according to its toxicity relative to PFOA, a particularly hazardous and well-studied carcinogen that is now banned. The EU is also planning to regulate about 10,000 Pfas as one class as there are too many to assess on a case-by-case basis and because none break down in the environment, but the UK has no plans to follow suit. Last week, environment groups, led by the Marine Conservation Society, wrote to ministers, urging a ban on all Pfas in consumer products and a timeline for phasing them out in all other uses. Now, public health and nature groups have joined forces to propose urgent measures to rein in pollution. 'Scientists continue to identify Pfas as one of the biggest threats of our time, yet the UK is falling behind other countries in restricting them,' said Hannah Evans of the environmental charity Fidra. 'Every day of inaction locks in decades of pollution and environmental harm … we're asking the UK government to turn off the tap of these persistent forever chemicals.' They say the UK should align with the EU's group-based Pfas restrictions and ban the substances in food packaging, clothing, cosmetics, toys and firefighting foams, following examples from Denmark, France and the EU. They want better monitoring, tougher water and soil standards and to make polluters cover the cost of Pfas clean-up. Emma Adler, the director of impact at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: 'Pfas are linked to an explosion of impacts for wildlife and public health, from cancers to immune issues. These new figures underline just how widespread Pfas pollution is and that Pfas regulation must be a much clearer priority in government missions to clean up UK rivers and improve the nation's health.' Thalie Martini, the chief executive officer at Breast Cancer UK, said: 'Evidence points to the potential for some Pfas to be related to health issues, including increasing breast cancer risk … millions of families affected by this disease will want the government to do everything they can to deliver tougher Pfas rules to protect our health.' Last year, 59 Pfas experts urged the government to follow the science and regulate all Pfas as a single class, warning their extreme persistence – regardless of toxicity – posed a serious environmental threat. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion 'Countries like France and Denmark, the EU as a whole and many US states have taken strong action against Pfas pollution,' said Dr Francesca Ginley from the Marine Conservation Society. 'The time is now for the UK to take a stand and show the leadership we need on Pfas pollution from source to sea.' Dr Shubhi Sharma of the charity Chem Trust said: 'Too often with hazardous chemicals the world has ignored early warnings of harm and learned lessons far too late. Costs to tackle Pfas in the environment and address health impacts have a multi-billion pound economic price tag … the government must not delay.' An Environment Agency spokesperson said the science on Pfas was moving quickly and that it was running a multi-year programme to improve understanding of Pfas pollution sources in England. They added: 'We are screening sites to identify potential sources of Pfas pollution and prioritise further investigations, whilst assessing how additional control measures could reduce the risks of Pfas in the environment.' A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'The government is committed to protecting human health and the environment from the risks posed by Pfas. That's why we are working at pace together with regulators to assess levels of Pfas in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform our approach to policy and regulation.'
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Interim water review ‘not the finishing line' to fix failures, campaigners warn
The National Water Commission's interim review of the sector is 'not the finishing line' to fixing the failing system, environmentalists have warned. The independent commission, headed by Sir Jon Cunliffe, said the water sector in England and Wales needs a 'fundamental reset' as it published a report on Tuesday. The panel of experts called for a rebalancing of Ofwat's regulatory role, urged the Government to provide clearer direction, proposed greater regional decision-making around local water systems and a greater focus on long-term responsible investment and ownership in the sector. Reacting to the report, Wildlife And Countryside Link (WCL), a coalition of 89 nature organisations, said ministers must start work now on vital reforms that will cut pollution, restore nature and reform water companies' governance. The groups said the Government must not only follow the advice of the report but go further, highlighting that the review stops short of final recommendations. Richard Benwell, WCL's chief executive, said: 'This interim report is a clear signpost, not a finishing line. 'The public are rightly angry about pollution and regulatory failure, and nature is in crisis. 'Politicians must stop equivocating and set clear strategic direction for environmental recovery. 'Where in the past polluters have got away with profiteering, public interest tests must be built into every layer of operations and governance with consequences for failure.' Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, said: 'Water is fundamental for nature's recovery, for the growth of the economy, for the health and security of communities and for life itself. 'We will press the commission over the next month to shoot for the stars rather than the moon in its final report. 'We will then expect to see the Government move swiftly and boldly to realise this high level of ambition.' Ali Morse, water policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'The commission's interim report emerges at a time when environmental protections are under threat from proposed planning laws, and budgets for nature look set to be slashed. 'This doesn't look like the actions of a Government that is serious about restoring our chalk streams, or averting the extinction of water vole and Atlantic salmon. 'To convince us otherwise, we need to see Government responding with measures that ensure water companies prioritise the health of rivers and seas, that past harms are made good, that other sectors too play their role, and that environmental regulators are equipped and supported to do their jobs.' Two organisations, River Action and Surfers Against Sewage, went further to say the interim review stops well short of real reform and offers few concrete solutions. They argued that it does not match up with the Government's manifesto commitments and speaks more about attracting investors than cleaning up pollution and serving the public. James Wallace, chief executive of River Action, said: 'This interim report signals some progress on regulation, but it reads more like a sales pitch to international investors and overpaid CEOs than the urgent restructuring of corrupted water companies. 'We ask the commission to learn from other countries how to ensure water companies are owned, financed and operated for public benefit.' Giles Bristow, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, said: 'The criminal behaviour, chronic lack of investment and woeful mismanagement which has led to sewage-filled seas is a direct result of our profit-driven system. 'This interim report begins to recognise this, but as yet does not spell out the need to end pollution for profit. 'The commission's final recommendations must reshape the water industry to put public health and the environment first.'
Sky News
27-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Government accused of watering down environment rules in housebuilding proposals
The government has been accused of watering down rules that require developers to leave wildlife habitats in a better state than they found them when building new homes. Ministers are seeking to give a boost to smaller housing developments with faster planning decisions and financial backing to speed up building new homes. Under the proposals, Labour would cut red tape and shift planning decisions away from councillors and towards expert officers - all as part of efforts to meet Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to build 1.5 million homes by 2029-30. Politics latest: Farage says 'yes' he can be PM The consultation will also consider easing biodiversity net gain requirements for minor developments. At the moment, these mean builders must pay to boost nature habitats if they are impacted by the development process. But the government hopes to create a new category for medium-sized developments - those with between 10 and 49 homes - with fewer costs, simplified biodiversity net gain rules and an exemption from the building safety levy. An 89-strong coalition of environment groups has warned that these reduced biodiversity rules would mean the vast majority of housing developments would no longer need to compensate for nature loss. The Wildlife and Countryside Link also suggested that developers could be allowed to break up large projects into smaller ones to avoid the rules. Richard Banwell, the group's chief executive, has urged the government not to "turn back the clock to the days of damaging development" with changes to this system. He said: "Exempting small sites would mean almost three-quarters of developments face no requirement to compensate for nature loss - let alone enhance it. "These changes could leave the biodiversity net gain system dead in the water and, with it, the government's main guarantee of nature-positive planning." However, the government has described the simplified biodiversity net gain rules for medium-sized developments as a "win-win for nature and development". Ministers are also seeking to support smaller firms by offering £100m in accelerator loans. A new National Housing Delivery Fund to be confirmed at the spending review will support long-term finance options - such as revolving credit - for small and medium-sized enterprises. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said it was time to "level the playing field" for smaller housebuilders. "Smaller housebuilders must be the bedrock of our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes and fix the housing crisis we've inherited - and get working people on the housing ladder," she said.
The Independent
11-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Warning over low funding to tackle invasive species damaging British wildlife
Less than 1% of the Government's biosecurity budget goes on invasive species, despite the danger they pose to British wildlife, figures suggest. Conservationists warned the funding to tackle non-native plants and animals was failing to match the risk they posed to 'cherished' native species from water voles to ladybirds, as well as to waterways, homes, businesses and local green spaces. They have called for more resources for border checks to stop non-native species arriving here, and funding for local groups to tackle the problem on the ground. A freedom of information request to the Animal and Plant Health Agency by Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) shows only £2.47 million of the estimated £250 million biosecurity budget was going to tackling invasive species. And just £250,000 of that was being channelled to local groups tackling non-native species on the ground – which range from Himalayan balsam and floating pennywort choking waterways to rhododendrons and giant blackberries strangling woodlands and grasslands, conservationists said. The figures also show £22.7 million of the wider biodiversity budget – around 3% of the spend on protecting important habitats and species – was spent on tackling invasive species. This funding is thought to be going towards areas such as tree disease ash dieback and Asian or yellow-legged hornets which pose a huge threat to honeybees and other insects, WCL said. Spending on stopping the spread of yellow-legged hornets bucks the trend of low funding, the conservationists said – with more than £2.2 million spent over the last two years, compared to just under £500,000 in the same period on local action for wider invasive species. Research has found that efforts to stop the yellow-legged hornets in the UK have delayed the insect's establishment when it has already taken hold in many countries. But Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition of conservation groups said while this was a big achievement, the hornet, a voracious predator of other insects which first arrived in Europe on a shipment of pottery 20 years ago, was likely to establish here at some point. And the high costs of tackling it shows the need to give greater border check powers and resourcing to stop these species arriving in the UK in the first place, the conservationists said. The wildlife experts say invasive species play a major role in more than 60% of extinctions worldwide. In the UK, species are in serious decline due to invasive species including water voles, preyed on by non-native mink, red squirrels, which face competition and disease spread from their grey cousins, and white-clawed crayfish that are under threat from North American signal crayfish. Lisa Manning, policy officer at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: 'Invasive species are one of the biggest risks to cherished species from water voles to ladybirds. 'They also wreak havoc on our waterways and cause damage to businesses, homes and to local parks and other green spaces. 'But the funding and support from the Government is failing to match the level of this threat,' she warned. 'We need more border check powers and resources to prevent new harmful species arriving. 'And more funding is needed to fight invasive species that have already arrived, so that local groups can stop struggling on an annual basis and take the long-term action needed for nature,' she urged. Erin Shott, advocacy officer at Plantlife, said: 'Local groups and volunteers are putting up a great fight to halt the spread of invasive species. 'But this action needs further co-ordination and dedicated funding if we're to stop further damage to treasured local nature sites and native British wildlife.' David Smith, from insect charity Buglife, said that despite the UK's success on yellow-legged hornets, 'we cannot afford to rely on reaction alone'. 'With many more invasive invertebrate species on the horizon, such as Chinese mystery snails, which can carry harmful parasites, and Asian longhorn beetles, which threaten our trees, timber, and fruit industries, there is a growing danger to both wildlife and the economy. 'We must focus on prevention rather than cure,' he said. An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: 'This Government will never waver in its duty to protect the UK's biosecurity. 'That's why we are bolstering our national biosecurity with a £200 million investment to set up a new National Biosecurity Centre and just last week announced £10 million of funding for cutting-edge surveillance projects to detect the spread of diseases and non-native species.' An Animal and Plant Health Agency spokesperson said: 'Our teams work hard to tackle the threat of invasive non-native species, which cost the GB economy nearly £2bn a year, and help deliver a seamless border that maintains frictionless trade while protecting biosecurity. 'Members of the public who encounter invasive non-native species should report them following instructions on the Non-Native Species Secretariat website.'
