The UK government must rein in the scale of “eternal chemicals” that pollute rivers and seas and threaten human and animal health, said Green MP Caroline Lucas.
The Guardian has revealed that high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as everlasting chemicals, have been found at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe in a major mapping project.
The map shows that drinking water sources in the UK have been contaminated with PFAS. Water companies say the pollutants don’t make it into the final tap water because they are either mixed with another source to dilute the chemicals or go through a specialized treatment process to be removed.
But Caroline Lucas, MP from Brighton Pavilion, said: “A cocktail of persistent toxic chemicals is polluting our rivers and seas, infecting our food and water supplies and posing a serious threat to human health, marine and animal life. However, the UK’s chemical pollution limits are far from international standards, and water companies’ claims that mixing chemicals with other sources to dilute pollutants simply won’t wash away.
“The government urgently needs to get this chemical crisis under control and adopt stricter regulations now.”