Firms ordered to reduce forever chemicals in drinking water for 6m people

Water companies have been ordered to tackle potentially harmful levels of so-called persistent chemicals found in drinking water supplies for more than six million people, the BBC has revealed.

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 numbers have been associated with an increased risk of some serious diseases.

The BBC examined 23 enforcement notices issued by the Drinking Water Inspectorate for high levels of PFAS that “may pose a potential danger to human health” to see 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 buildup.

Amid growing concerns about these chemicals, water companies are being asked to test 47 of the most concerning ones in water supplied to customers’ homes and drinking water sources such as groundwater sources and reservoirs since 2021.

Over the last four years, 1.7 million tests for individual forever chemicals have been performed across the network. Of those, at least 9,432 recorded PFAS levels above DWI’s stated level may pose a potential danger to human health.

When a test result is above or likely to exceed this level of 0.01ug/L (micrograms per litre), the Drinking Water Inspectorate issues enforcement notices to the water company requesting action be taken to ensure the water is safe.

The BBC analyzed enforcement documents highlighted by Watershed Investigations (a group of journalistic campaigners) to identify all water supply areas where sanctions have been imposed.

Using publicly available information, we identified at least six million people by matching each supply system with the number of customers it serves.

Forever chemicals have been used extensively in thousands of products since the 1940s, from frying pans to medical equipment to school uniforms.

D., an environmental chemist specializing in PFAS at the NILU research institute in Norway. Over time, PFAS products have found a way into the environment and into treated water for drinking through storm runoff and releases from industrial sites, according to William Hartz.

This could include leaching of PFAS as rainwater filters through landfills or firefighting training sites, where the use of some firefighting foams releases persistent chemicals directly into the environment, he said.

The study of PFAS is a developing field, but a small number of these chemicals have been identified as posing significant risks to human health.

At the beginning of this year, the World Health Organization raised significant concerns about two specific compounds. classified PFOA is stated to be carcinogenic and PFOS is possibly carcinogenic. Increases the risk of thyroid, testicular and kidney cancer. Both substances are now banned.

But Megan Kirton, senior project officer at environmental charity Fidra, said the chemistry of PFAS cannot be broken down easily, so even if they are banned they remain in the environment unless treated by water companies.

“It’s a very difficult situation that we’re in because it’s very difficult to remove PFAS from water. It’s like trying to remove milk after you’ve spilled your coffee in it,” he said.

The BBC evaluated more than 2,000 individual test results from 2024 obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests to determine which specific PFAS compounds were present when levels exceeded limits. This showed that both PFOS and PFOA were found in more than 350 of the drinking water tests.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate said water quality remained safe because, given an enforcement, water companies must increase, replace or strengthen testing for PFAS or eliminate a drinking water supply altogether.

This process can take several years and requires months of follow-up before the sanction is lifted.

The inspectorate told the BBC it “runs one of the most comprehensive PFAS monitoring programs in the world” and ensures the public has “full confidence in the safety of drinking water”.

But environmental charities and the Royal Society of Chemistry have raised concerns that the UK guidelines are not legally binding and the limits, which are 2.5 times higher than those in the US, should be lowered.

“I think we have a pretty good idea of ​​what PFAS is in water in the UK and we know that these health effects occur at very low levels, so we think it’s time they put this guidance into law to make sure water companies are fully accountable,” said Stephanie Metzger, policy advisor at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

In July, an independent review A government-commissioned study of the water system in England and Wales found that “stricter treatment requirements are needed to protect public health and the environment.”

The government is currently preparing a white paper in response to the review, which will include changes to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the BBC understands.

However, PFAS removal is extremely difficult for water companies with traditional water treatment infrastructure. The Environment Agency said this.

Prof Peter Jarvis, professor of water science and technology at Cranfield University, said there were technologies such as nanofiltration, which have been implemented from time to time by the water industry and could be used more widely, but these came with high costs and large energy demands.

“We need to have a slightly more mature conversation about how we implement these types of technologies and how we pay for them,” he said.

“No matter where you are in the country, when you turn on your tap you’re enjoying the best drinking water in the world,” a Water UK spokesperson said.

But in light of rising treatment costs, Water UK has called for tighter regulation of those producing chemicals indefinitely in the first place.

“We want to see PFAS banned and a national plan developed to remove it from the environment, paid for by manufacturers,” his spokesman said.