Posts Tagged ‘PFAS’

‘Forever chemical’ in English tap water samples carcinogenic, WHO rules

Posted by Watershed

PFAS found in hundreds of drinking water samples across England has been categorised as carcinogenic by the  World Health Organisation. The move will increase pressure on the UK government to take action on “forever chemicals”.

PFOA has been linked to cancer for some time but a growing body of evidence means it has now been upgraded to “category one”, which means it is “carcinogenic to humans”, according to the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

A recent report from the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) shows that approximately 12,000 samples taken from drinking water sources contain at least one PFAS of some kind.

 

‘Forever chemicals’ found in drinking water sources across England

Posted by Watershed

Potentially toxic “forever chemicals” have been detected in the drinking water sources at 17 of 18 England’s water companies, with 11,853 samples testing positive, something experts say they are “extremely alarmed” by.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a group of 10,000 or so human-made chemicals widely used in industrial processes, firefighting foams and consumer products – were found in samples of raw and treated water tested by water companies last year, according to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), the Guardian and Watershed Investigations has found.

Scientific paper based on the Forever Pollution Project

Posted by Watershed

A scientific paper based on the Forever Pollution Project on PFAS was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters. A researcher said: “We used the data to study the relationships between PFAS soil concentrations and point sources. An AI-driven predictive model was developed that enabled us to generate a map of PFAS soil concentration over the entire European soils. The map provides important insights (or better to say, warnings!) into the scale of PFAS contamination in soils in Europe, and we discuss the implications in relation to seepage water concentrations as well.”

Scientists call on ministers to cut limits for ‘forever chemicals’ in UK tap water

Posted by Watershed

Acceptable levels of “forever chemicals” in drinking water should be reduced tenfold and a new national chemicals agency created to protect public health, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has told the UK government.

The RSC has produced a map using data published in the Guardian with Watershed Investigations in February, revealing that a “third of the watercourses tested contain medium- or high-risk levels of PFAS, according to the DWI’s own classification system”.

What you need to know about PFAS

Posted by Watershed

Internazionale Magazine, the global current affairs weekly, picks up Watershed’s PFAS work from the Forever Pollution Project. The article look at the most common sources of exposure to the potential consequences for human health and the environment.

Firm releases almost 800kg of ‘forever chemical’ a year into Lancashire river

Posted by Watershed

Exclusive: A chemicals company is releasing large quantities of a PFAS “forever chemical” described as being “very persistent, mobile and toxic” into the River Wyre in Lancashire each year, and is not breaking any rules.

PFAS pollution in drinking water and rivers

Posted by Watershed

Watershed Investigations takes to the Thames for Sky News’ Climate Show to talk about PFAS pollution in drinking water, rivers, sediments and fish.

 

 

‘Concerning’ levels of forever chemicals found in UK fish

Posted by Watershed

Flounder, dab and plaice have been found to contain highly-persistent industrial pollutants.

Testing of “forever chemicals” in England’s wild fish has found high levels of an industrial pollutant that if eaten more than twice a year would exceed recommended EU safety guidelines.

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of nearly 10,000 chemicals that are used in many household goods such as non-stick cookware, waterproof fabrics, personal care products and stain-proof coatings on carpets.

Data obtained by Watershed Investigations – a team of journalists investigating water issues, and shared with the PA news agency – shows contamination in flounder, dab and plaice throughout England’s river and coastal habitats, with the highest readings in the Thames, Mersey and Wyre.

Click here to view and download the fish data.

UK ministers under pressure to tighten laws on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

Posted by Watershed

Pressure is building on UK ministers to tighten regulations on PFAS “forever chemicals” as research by Watershed shows vast numbers of people are drinking water with levels that would be banned in the US.

On Tuesday, US president Joe Biden announced plans to drive down acceptable limits in drinking water to four nanograms per litre (4ng/l) for two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS and PFOA), and announced proposals to regulate four more – PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX Chemicals – as a mixture. In the UK the guideline limit is 100ng/l.

Pan-European forever pollution project

Posted by Watershed

More than 17 000 sites all over Europe are contaminated by the ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS, an exclusive, months-long investigation from 18 European newsrooms, including Watershed with the Guardian, shows. Watershed sourced multiple datasets and performed its own sampling to build up the UK picture. The Forever Pollution Project involved Le Monde (France), NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), RADAR Magazine and Le Scienze (Italy), The Investigative Desk and NRC (Netherlands), Knack (Belgium), Denik Referendum (Czech Republic), Politiken (Denmark), YLE (Finland), Reporters United (Greece), Latvian Radio (Latvia), Datadista (Spain), SRF (Switzerland)

Watershed - Investigative Journalism