Water companies have been ordered to tackle potentially dangerous levels of so-called forever chemicals in the drinking water supplies of more than six million people, the BBC reports.
Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are a group of thousands of substances used in everyday products. These are persistent pollutants that accumulate in the environment, and small amounts of them are associated with an increased risk of some serious diseases.
The BBC examined 23 enforcement notices issued by the Drinking Water Inspectorate regarding elevated levels of PFAS that could “pose a potential risk to human health” to find out how many people were affected.
Industry body Water UK said it was confident drinking water was safe.
But Water UK has called for the chemicals to be banned to prevent their build-up.
Amid growing concerns about these chemicals, water companies are required to test for 47 substances of concern starting in 2021 in water supplied to customers' homes and in drinking water sources such as aquifers and reservoirs.
Over the past four years, 1.7 million tests have been conducted online for individual chemicals forever. At least 9,432 of them reported PFAS levels above the DWI level. may pose a potential hazard to human health.
If the test result is or is likely to exceed this level, which is set at 0.01 µg/L (micrograms per litre), the Drinking Water Inspectorate will issue enforcement notices to the water company, requiring them to take action to ensure the water is safe.
The BBC analyzed enforcement documents highlighted by Watershed Investigations, a group of journalists, to identify all of the sanctioned water supply areas.
Using publicly available information, we matched each supply chain to the number of customers it served, identifying a minimum of six million people.
Forever chemicals have been widely used since the 1940s in thousands of products, from frying pans to medical equipment to school uniforms.
According to Dr. William Hartz, an environmental chemist specializing in PFAS at the research institute NILU in Norway, they have entered the environment (and water that is treated for drinking) over time through PFAS product washes, stormwater runoff, and emissions from industrial facilities.
That could include PFAS leaching through rainwater filters through landfills or firefighting training sites, where the use of some firefighting foam results in a direct release of the chemicals into the environment, he said.
PFAS research is a new field, but small amounts of these chemicals have been found to pose significant risks to human health.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization raised serious concerns about two specific compounds. He classified PFOA as a carcinogen and PFOS as a possible carcinogen – increased risk of thyroid, testicular and kidney cancer. Both substances are now banned.
But Megan Kirton, senior projects officer at environmental charity Fidra, says the chemistry of PFAS means they don't break down easily, so even if they are banned they remain in the environment unless treated by water companies.
“We are in a very difficult situation because PFAS are very difficult to remove from the water. It's like trying to get milk out of coffee when you've already poured it in,” she said.
The BBC analyzed more than 2,000 individual test results dating back to 2024, obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, to determine which specific PFAS compounds were detected when levels exceeded limits. It showed that both PFOS and PFOA were detected in more than 350 drinking water tests.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate said water quality remains safe because once a sanction is issued, water companies are required to increase testing, modify or enhance PFAS treatment, or remove the drinking water source altogether.
This process could take several years and require months of monitoring before sanctions are lifted.
The inspectorate told the BBC it “operates one of the world's most comprehensive PFAS monitoring programs”, ensuring the public can have “full confidence in the safety of their drinking water”.
However, environmental charities and the Royal Society of Chemistry have expressed concerns that the UK guidelines are not legally binding and that limits, which are 2.5 times higher than in the US, should be reduced.
“I think we have a pretty good idea of what PFAS are in UK waters, and we know that these health effects occur at very low levels, so we think it's time to enshrine these recommendations in law to ensure water companies are fully held to account,” said Stephanie Metzger, policy adviser at the Royal Society of Chemistry.
In July independent review The water supply system in England and Wales, commissioned by the government, found that “there is a need for more stringent treatment requirements to protect public health and the environment.”
The BBC understands the Government is currently preparing a white paper in response to the review, which will include changes to the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
But removing PFAS is very challenging for water utilities with traditional water treatment infrastructure. The Environmental Protection Agency stated.
Professor Peter Jarvis, professor of water science and technology at Cranfield University, said there were technologies such as nanofiltration used from time to time in the water industry that could be used more widely, but they were associated with high costs and huge energy demands.
“We need to have a more mature conversation about how we implement these types of technologies and how we pay for them,” he said.
Water UK told the BBC: “No matter where you are in the country, when you turn on the tap you are enjoying the best drinking water in the world.”
But speaking on the Today programme, chief executive David Henderson said the chemicals should be banned in light of rising treatment costs.
“This £70 million we spend every year has to be paid for by the chemical companies, it's really unfair for people to add it to their water bills,” he said.
Related Internet Links
[BBC]
Subscribe to our Future Earth newsletter for the latest climate and environment news with BBC correspondent Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Subscribe to our international newsletter here.
