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Significant drop in levels of toxic 'forever' chemicals in England's rivers
Fresh-water fish levels fell 49% as regulators say stricter restrictions helped cut the chemicals in England's rivers.
- On Thursday, the Environment Agency reported that concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in England's rivers fell 30% and 29% respectively over the last decade, marking a significant reduction in these toxic substances.
- Stricter restrictions, including bans on PFOS in 2010 and PFOA in 2020, drove this decline following research two decades ago linking the substances to animal tissue damage and testicular cancer.
- Levels in freshwater fish fell 49%, progress Dr. David Megson, reader in environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University, called 'brilliant,' adding, "It's brilliant to see how far we have come in the last 10 years."
- Despite these declines, thousands of other persistent PFAS variants remain in use, prompting the Environment Agency to emphasize the need for better monitoring and regulation of the entire chemical class.
- First developed in the 1930s for oil- and water-resistant properties, PFAS chemicals take a long time to break down naturally, creating a persistent environmental challenge that regulators continue to address.
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right1Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center, 50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 50%
R 50%
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