Forever Chemicals in England's rivers

A recent article published as part of The Times’ “Clean It Up” campaign has brought attention to the fact that over 75% of rivers in England are exceeding a “safe” level of PFAS (or forever chemicals). River pollution has been a huge issue and has frequently been in the news over the last couple of years – we even blogged about the levels of sewage entering the water as far back as the October of 2021, and this isn’t the only thing polluting our rivers in this ongoing environmental problem! 

On the 27th February, 2023, The Times published “Clean It Up: Toxic timebomb of ‘forever chemicals’ in England’s rivers”. This article explains that the majority of rivers in England are testing well beyond (in many cases, ‘well beyond’ is an understatement) of PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances). These are man-made chemicals that have been used since the mid 20th century, for various applications. A couple of examples include the coating found in non-stick pans, as well as waterproof clothing and stain resistant carpeting. Due to their composition, they are hard to break down and can least for a very long time in the environment (hence the moniker ‘forever chemicals’. 

 

As stated by the article: 

 

“Analysis of Environment Agency data for 105 rivers has now revealed several hotspots of PFAS pollution in English rivers.”, where “81 out of 105 rivers tested for the group of chemicals exceeded a proposed EU standard which is expected to become law later this year.”, with many being “several times over the standard, with 44 of 105 exceeding it by more than five times.” 

 

To say that these figures are eyebrow raising would be putting it quite mildly. Due to factors such as pollution from man-made chemicals, sewage and run off from farmland, the Environment Agency has said that only 14% of our rivers are in ‘good’ ecological status. It is thought that this number will likely drop to 6% by 2027. 

There are a number of health risks associated with these forever chemicals; these range from fertility issues and reduced immune response to even more alarming things, such as some cancers (e.g. prostate and kidney). Of course, much more research needs to be done to further understand the relationship between PFAS and health, so that we can full understand which chemicals are most harmful, in what way they are harmful and, of course, at what levels they are harmful. 

 

When it comes to water, we know that water from rivers will enter the water treatment process, and we know that this process makes water safe to drink – but more can be done at home to not only make your water perfect, but to also bring that peace of mind that everything from forever chemicals to microplastics have been removed from your drinking water! 

Here at PWP we love what we do, because as we bring beautifully softened, filtered and purified water to you and your home, we also bring peace of mind! 

 

Our drinking water systems don’t just remove all the chemicals from your water – they remove all of the concern, by purifying your water and then polishing it, so your drinking water comes out of your tap with the chemicals gone, but the right minerals put in! 

 

To find out how you can wrap a ring of protection around you and your home, get in touch with us today! 

 

 

To keep up with the news regarding environmental issues in the fascinating and ever-changing world of water, we highly recommend that you have a look at the ‘Clean It Up’ campaign! There are loads of fantastic, informative and important articles on there.