High levels of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found off coast of southern England | Marine life

Scientists have found high levels of toxic Pfas, or “forever chemicals”, in soil, water and the marine food chain in the UK’s Solent Strait, including protected environmental areas. new study.

In some instances, pollution was 13 times the safe threshold for coastal waters. Others that were below legal limits for individual chemicals failed combined toxicity tests.

The samples were taken from the Solent Strait, which lies between the Isle of Wight and the mainland and forms part of the Channel. The chemicals are thought to enter the environment from wastewater treatment plants, sewage outfalls, historic landfills and nearby military sites.

The researchers said their findings underlined the need to monitor the chemicals together and introduce a blanket ban on Pfas as part of the government’s water reform agenda.

Prof Alex Ford, a biologist at the University of Portsmouth and one of the study’s authors, said: “If there was an oil spill in the Solent that industry would have to pay for the restoration of those habitats, but that doesn’t happen with sewers.

But he added: “This is something I don’t attribute to water companies because they don’t have the capacity to treat these compounds. So they need to be banned at the source.”

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) are a family of chemicals used for their long-lasting qualities in a variety of industries and household products, including nonstick cookware, food packaging, and waterproof clothing.

They are often known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily and are biodegradable. linked to a number of diseases by scientists in humans and wildlife.

The researchers analyzed government data, tests from water utilities and their own samples from a dozen species of fish, seaweed and invertebrates. They found Pfas had entered the Solent in treated wastewater from wastewater works in Portsmouth and Fareham operated by Southern Water, which supplies drinking water and sewage to Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The study also mapped 194 combined sewer overflow outlets and more than 500 nearby historic landfills that researchers believe may contribute to pollution.

Some of the samples taken from marine animals, including the livers of harbor porpoises, contained individual chemicals above current safe legal limits. Many more failed a more recent European Union test for combined toxicity that weighed the relative potency of combined Pfas.

All but seven of the British surface waters tested, like many others, failed the combined test. Remote lochs and burns in Scotland.

“I don’t think our story is specific to the Solent,” Ford said. “I think we’ll see a pattern across the UK.”

A Southern Water spokesman agreed that new legislation was needed to “restrict or ban certain chemicals”.

“Combating the presence of these chemicals is a challenge for society as a whole,” they said. “The most sustainable solution is to meet the problem at its source… and [the chemicals] “It’s the exhaustion of the pipes and the environment in the first place.”

Despite the environmental persistence of Pfas, evidence suggests that restricting their use may be effective.

The EU is likely moving towards a blanket ban on Pfas, with some exceptions for pharmaceuticals and other critical uses. When its own Pfas plan was published in February, the British government said it would consult on setting limits on chemicals and carry out further testing, and promised “a framework for understanding where these chemicals come from, how they spread and how to reduce exposure to the public and the environment”.

However, Marine Conservation SocietyThe company funding the Solent research said: “We need to go further and faster.”

“Making a plan is not good enough,” said Calum Duncan, head of policy at the environmental charity. “We need to act urgently, and we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do so through the water reform process.”