Dr Shubhi Sharma, Research Scientist at the CHEM Trust, believes the UK needs to address the widespread PFAS contamination crisis, highlighting the cost of inaction and the importance of adopting new regulatory measures.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals that are often referred to as “permanent chemicals” because they can persist in the environment for generations. Certain PFAS have been linked to human health problems such as hormonal disorders, immune and reproductive system damage, and even some types of cancer.
PFAS contamination is widespread in the UK. The Environment Agency estimates there are more than 10,000 PFAS contamination hotspots across the UK. These hotspots include landfills, military bases, sewage outlets, and more. In the UK, PFAS also contaminates people’s blood, supermarket food, drinking water, fresh water, the marine environment, and wildlife including otters, porpoises and seabirds.
In some areas, such as near chemical manufacturing plants in Lancashire, PFAS contamination is so severe that residents are advised to take a “precautionary approach” to eating food grown in their gardens and farms amid concerns that the soil may be contaminated with these permanent chemicals.
UK lags behind EU in regulatory measures against PFAS
Despite this widespread PFAS contamination, the UK government has taken little action to regulate PFAS, especially compared to ongoing measures in the European Union. For example, the EU has banned PFAS in food packaging, toys, and fire extinguishers, set statutory limits for PFAS in drinking water, surface water, and ground water, and banned several PFAS subgroups.
Additionally, the EU is currently discussing restrictions on approximately 10,000 substances in the PFAS family. This limit is commonly known as the universal PFAS or uPFAS limit. Some EU countries have introduced national bans on PFAS while waiting for uPFAS restrictions to come into force. For example, Denmark and France have banned PFAS in many consumer uses, and France plans to introduce a tax on industrial emissions of PFAS.
By comparison, apart from adopting an international ban and initiating restrictions on PFAS in firefighting foam, the UK has not restricted any PFAS since leaving the EU. However, in early December 2025, Defra published an environmental remediation plan setting out how the government intends to work on it.
Fulfill your ambitions for nature. This included a promise to publish a PFAS action plan. This plan must be bold and consistent with the EU’s ambition to phase out PFAS as a group.
the price of doing nothing
The annual cost of cleaning up PFAS in the UK is estimated to be £9.9 billion a year if emissions remain uncontrolled. Even if all emissions stopped today, the annual clean-up costs over the next 20 years would still be £428m. These costs include remediation of contaminated soil, landfill leachate, and only 5% of drinking water in large water distribution zones for two PFAS (PFOS and PFOA). This estimate does not include socio-economic costs, such as the cost of health impacts to the NHS. Therefore, there is a most urgent need to stop this increase in pollution and take bold action to emulate the EU’s uPFAS restrictions.
Meeting uPFAS limits is the most practical way
In 2024, in response to the UK’s lack of action on PFAS, a group of more than 50 scientific experts on PFAS, with expertise in epidemiology, toxicology and environmental chemistry, wrote to the UK government urging it to collectively adopt the EU’s approach to banning PFAS. They argued that given the sheer number of PFAS, regulating one substance at a time is neither appropriate nor feasible. This is demonstrated by our approach to regulating two types of PFAS: PFOS and PFOA. Although they are internationally banned due to their persistence and other harmful properties, they have simply been replaced by other PFAS, and their levels are now steadily rising in the environment. Therefore, regulating PFAS as a group is the most practical way to control the PFAS contamination crisis.
In 2025, a coalition of NGOs CHEM Trust, Fidra, Marine Conservation Society, Wildlife and Countryside Link and Breast Cancer UK developed a joint proposal to regulate PFAS in the UK. The proposal highlights the seriousness of PFAS contamination in the UK and outlines key steps the UK Government can take to address the environmental and health risks associated with PFAS. The report recommends that the UK as a group follow the EU’s approach to regulating PFAS. It also recommends that the UK introduce sector-specific bans, following successful models already introduced in Denmark and France. The proposals highlight the inability of UK regulators (both the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency) to regulate at the same scale and pace as the EU. A regulatory regime that defaults to alignment with EU chemical safety legislation would provide a long-term, cost-effective and sustainable approach to regulating chemicals.
PFAS-free innovation is underway
Fortunately, many companies have already begun to move away from PFAS. Alternatives to PFAS are being developed for many applications, including important applications such as hydrogen, solar panels, lithium batteries, and other environmental technologies. More than 100 companies are participating in the “No PFAS Corporate Movement” organized by the Swedish NGO ChemSec. More products are replacing PFAS in cosmetics, fashion, and medical devices.
CHEM Trust supports universal PFAS limits and calls for regulations that support innovation in safer PFAS-free alternatives.
Dr Shubhi Sharma, Research Scientist at the CHEM Trust, said: ‘Too often the world ignores early warning signs of harm and learns lessons too late. “Tackling PFAS in the environment and addressing its health impacts will cost billions of pounds. The UK government must not delay regulating these permanent chemicals to turn off the tap.” Regarding PFAS contamination. ”
This article will be published in an upcoming PFAS Special Focus Publication in January.
Source link
