Investigation reveals excessive levels of ‘forever chemicals’ are in some water supplies
Up to six million people in England may be drinking water contaminated by so-called “forever chemicals”.
A BBC investigation reveals dozens of water treatment works and supply zones flagged for excessive levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) — highly persistent, man-made chemicals linked to cancer and hormone disruption.
Suppliers including Anglian Water and Wessex Water are among those ordered to act. Anglian serves 4.2 million customers in this context.
The regulator’s notices highlight “inadequate treatment process to remove PFAS” and “increasing PFAS levels” in supply networks. For many sites the choice is to blend with cleaner water or upgrade filtering systems — costs that could run into billions.
Experts told the BBC the UK’s current standards are woefully lenient.
Some chemicals have been limited to 100 ng/l only recently, while countries such as Denmark set thresholds as low as 2 ng/l.
The BBC analysis shows that water companies are facing an environmental reckoning.
Legacy contamination from airports, landfills and industrial sites is surfacing across the network. One expert said the cost of cleaning up PFAS pollution could top £1.6 trillion in the UK and Europe over 20 years.
Water companies say UK drinking water remains “of an exceptionally high standard” and insist there’s no evidence that consumer taps exceed safety limits. Yet the BBC says untreated sources servicing millions were flagged by the regulator.
Regulators now face an urgent challenge: hold the polluters to account and protect the public from a legacy of contamination. All this comea ontop of recent scandals and fines for sewage spills and water pollution.
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