01 December 2023 , 15:12
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A substance found in hundreds of thousands of drinking water samples in England has been categorised as carcinogenic by the World Health Organisation.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), part of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - a group of 10,000 compounds commonly referred to as "forever chemicals" - has been detected in 11,853 samples in the drinking water sources at 17 of 18 England's water companies. PFAS are used in a wide range of products including food packaging, clothing and cosmetics.
PFOA and another member of the family - perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) - have largely been banned. However, they remain in the environment due to their persistence.
This family of chemicals has been linked to diseases including cancers, immunodeficiencies, reproductive harms and developmental effects in children. But following a number of studies and analysis of new evidence, PFOA has been officially listed as "category one" by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - meaning it is "carcinogenic to humans".
It comes after analysis by the Royal Society of Chemistry's (RSC) 35% and 37% of English and Welsh water courses that were tested contain a medium or high-risk level of PFOS and PFOA respectively. The current guideline limit in UK drinking water is 100 nanograms per litre for individual PFAS, less than the EU's 100ng/l limit for 20 individual PFAS. The US is also introducing 4ng/l limits for PFOS and PFOA.
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The RSC has now issued a campaign urging the government to reduce the UK's limit to 10ng/l per PFAS and introduce a cap of 100ng/l of PFAS in drinking water. Stephanie Metzger, policy advisor at the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: "We know that PFAS can be filtered from drinking water - the technology exists, so increasing the level of filtration is just a matter of expense and political will.
"In the Drinking Water Inspectorate's own words, levels above 10 nanograms per litre pose a medium or high risk to public health. We're seeing more and more studies that link PFAS to a range of very serious medical conditions, and so we urgently need a new approach for the sake of public health."
After PFOA was classed as carcinogenic by the WHO, Dr David Megson, a forensic environmental scientist from Manchester Metropolitan University, told The Guardian: "Our guideline values for PFAS in drinking water are not as stringent as other countries, yet it is still a challenge for water companies to provide water with PFAS levels below these limits. Ultimately it is water companies and consumers who are picking up the bill to try to manage these contaminated supplies, not the polluters. Urgent action and investment is required."
Dr Clare Cavers, from the environmental charity Fidra, described the findings as "extremely alarming, in particular as the acceptable limit set by the DWI for the banned toxic forever chemical PFOS is much higher than in other parts of the world." She said it is also "concerning" that PFOS can be passed to babies in the womb.
The WHO said it is now working on a document to list guidelines for drinking water quality with a focus on PFOS and PFOA. It explained: "Although the stability of PFOS and PFOA as well as their surfactant properties make them useful in consumer and industrial applications, there are concerns with their persistence and impacts on the environment and human health, as a result of exposure through the widespread uses of these chemicals. Drinking water is one of several environmental sources of human exposure to PFAS, along with exposure via food, use in consumer products and occupational exposures."