Levels of the two most toxic "forever" chemicals in England's rivers have dropped by nearly a third over the last decade, according to new Environment Agency figures, the BBC reported. The decline in PFOS and PFOA has been attributed to stricter limits on their use after evidence emerged of harm to human health and the environment. "It's brilliant to see how far we have come in the last 10 years," said Dr. David Megson, a reader in environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University. Thousands of other forever chemicals, known as PFAS, remain in use, but the regulator said the report showed the need to monitor and regulate them more broadly.
PFAS were first developed in the 1930s in the United States and became popular in products such as frying pans and firefighting foam because they resist oil, water, and electricity. They are called forever chemicals because they take a very long time to break down. The earliest widely used types were PFOS and PFOA. About two decades ago, researchers began finding links to tissue damage in animals and to higher rates of some serious conditions, including testicular cancer. As a result, PFOS was all but banned in the United Kingdom in 2010 and PFOA in 2020. The latest data, published Thursday, show that concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in English rivers have fallen by 30% and 29% respectively over 10 years. Levels in freshwater fish have fallen 49%.
There are thought to be around 15,000 other PFAS, though only about 200 are frequently used. The Environment Agency said that despite more research, "uncertainty remains regarding the toxicity of many PFAS," and that its findings "reinforce the need" for regulating all PFAS rather than one by one. The chemicals industry has long opposed that approach, arguing that there is little evidence other PFAS are toxic and that some have vital uses, including in medical equipment. The regulator is now regularly testing for 60 other PFAS, and earlier this month the government announced that it would begin monitoring levels in people's bodies.
The agency also acknowledged a caveat: because the chemicals take so long to break down, the overall amount still in the environment is likely unchanged. They have simply been diluted and washed into the sea. "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," Megson said. One of the few ways to permanently destroy PFAS is high-temperature incineration, and the BBC noted that there are currently just two suitable sites in the country. The verified finding is a sharp drop in two banned chemicals in rivers and fish, not a claim that the forever-chemical problem has been solved.