The River Roding may look like an unspoiled stretch of water but it is laced with invisible “forever chemicals” – prompting campaigners to warn of a “toxic time bomb”.
A family of 10,000 chemicals called PFAS – Per- and polyfluoroalkyl sub-stances – are everywhere from non-stick pans, waterproof coats and cosmetics.
Valued for their non-stick and detergent properties, these “forever chemicals” do not break down in the environment and can build up in the body.
They have made their way into water, soils and sediments from a wide range of consumer products, firefighting foams, waste and industrial processes.
Analysis of Environment Agency data by the River Trust found that 81 out of 105 English rivers tested for the chemicals, exceeding a proposed EU standard that is expected to become law this year.
The worst river for the group of chemicals was the Roding in East London, with concentrations more than 20 times higher than safety limits. The Avon in Somerset, Mersey in Cheshire and Ouse in Bedfordshire were all found to be at least 10 times over the limit.
Some 44 rivers exceeded concentrations over five times including the Trent at Rugeley, Staffs, the Arun near Horsham, West Sussex, and Yare in Norfolk.
But Dr Rob Collins, director of policy and science at the Rivers Trust, said the figures “could be the tip of the iceberg”.
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He explained: “UK monitoring of PFAS is patchy at best and the full extent of forever chemical pollution could be even worse.
“Most forever chemicals aren’t even monitored, so levels could be even higher, which has worrying risks for the public and wildlife. We need properly-resourced monitoring and to turn off the PFAS pump at the source through much stricter controls.”
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “‘Forever chemicals are a toxic timebomb, a risk for nature and public health. The Government’s upcoming Chemicals Strategy and PFAS regulations are a critical opportunity to head off the threat.”
Two PFAS are linked with an array of health problems. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is connected with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis and high cholesterol.
PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) has been linked with reproductive, developmental, liver, kidney, and thyroid disease.
They are toxic to fish and are found in rivers, seawater and drinking water, as treatment plants cannot remove them.
In the UK just PFOS and PFOA are regulated. In the EU, there is a proposal to regulate PFAS as one class, rather than different substances.
The European Chemicals Agency warns about 4.4m tonnes of PFAS will end up in the environment over the next 30 years unless action is taken.
The Marine Conservation Society warns PFAS have reached polar regions.
It is calling for governments to ban PFAS in all non-essential uses and asking businesses to stop using them.
