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How Forever Chemicals Harm Your Water Supply
Many people have heard of the concept of forever chemicals, but because they have become so impossibly widespread and their impact has taken a long time to even begin to be understood, it has taken an unacceptably long time for widespread significant action to take place.
The Royal Society of Chemistry has released an interactive map showing the levels of concentration of PFAs, known as forever chemicals, which provides a rather sobering reflection on the huge scale of the impact the industrial compounds have had on water quality and human health.
The scale of concerns has led to the UK government instituting a long-term plan to manage forever chemicals for the first time and develop a widespread strategy to understand their emergence, effects, exposure and any possible solutions to reduce public exposure.
Why is this necessary?
To understand the new policy position, we need to examine what forever chemicals are, how widespread they are, how much harm they cause now and in the future, and what you can do with the help of water consultants to limit exposure and emissions.
What Are Forever Chemicals?
Forever chemicals typically refer to per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of over 10,000 synthetic chemicals that are known for their long-term persistence. We do not know how long they last, but they can remain in the environment for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
What makes them so notable is that they seemingly do not degrade, at least not within the scope of human lifetimes, and they often migrate in water or through soils over long distances.
What Are PFAS Used For?
It is difficult to provide a complete list of use cases because there are often so many, but products that use them frequently include:
- Textiles, particularly carpets, mattresses, some types of cushions and foam padding, and waterproof clothing.
- Non-stick cookware, such as baking trays and frying pans.
- Food packaging, mostly as a greaseproof layer in pizza boxes, cake mixtures, takeaway boxes and popcorn bags.
- Cosmetics, particularly sunscreen and hair conditioner.
- Electronics, with PFAS being a particular cause of concern for e-waste.
- Foams used for firefighting.
How Do Forever Chemicals Enter The Water Supply?
In general, forever chemicals enter the water supply either as a by-product of the mass-production of certain types of products or by leaching into the ground and nearby water supplies to disposal sites and landfills.
It can move particularly far once it enters the water supply; whilst the Forever Pollution Project only covers Europe, forever chemicals have been found in Antarctica, far away from human civilisation and from the types of products that would produce perceptible amounts of forever chemicals.
Why Are Forever Chemicals A Problem?
Forever chemicals are believed to be in every single human being on earth, but it is not so much their existence as their concentration which causes problems.
People can consume PFAS through drinking water contaminated with them, food (particularly seafood) contaminated with them, and by breathing air which contains them.
In recent years, the toxicity of forever chemicals on people and animals has become established, although the long-term scale of the harm is still yet to be known due to the sheer scale of people’s exposure to PFAS.
A small concentration of PFAS can usually be excreted out of the body, but they can accumulate over time, and there have been links between forever chemicals and:
- Endocrine disruption, or interference with how the body produces and regulates hormones.
- Interference with reproductive function and foetal development.
- Reduced effectiveness of the immune system and vaccines.
- The development of certain types of cancers, with a link found between PFAS and cancers of the kidneys and testicles.
Even if forever chemical emissions were eradicated today, people would still be exposed to PFAS for decades, if not centuries to come.
What Is The Government Doing About Forever Chemicals?
Regulations are in place to restrict the most toxic persistent organic pollutants, but it has taken until a few years ago for wider, more effective bans and restrictions of PFAS to be proposed.
At present, the UK government is developing a plan to minimise its exposure to people and transition away from forever chemicals to safer alternatives, although exactly how long that will take is still to be determined.
What Can You Do To Reduce Or Limit Forever Chemicals In Your Business?
- Phase out PFAS chemicals in favour of safer alternatives as soon as possible if your business uses them.
- Avoid using products and textiles containing PFAS in your workplaces.
- Consult with water consultants to see if you can filter out drinking water supplies further.