Excerpt:
Study of Channel finds levels of toxic Pfas in Solent at 13 times safe limits in some places, with much coming from treated sewage
Scientists have found high levels of toxic Pfas, or “forever chemicals”, in soil, water and throughout the marine food chain in the UK’s Solent strait, including at protected environmental sites, according to a new study.
In some samples, pollution was 13 times the safe threshold for coastal waters. Others, which were below legal limits for individual chemicals, failed tests for combined toxicity.
The samples were taken from the Solent strait, which runs between the Isle of Wight and the mainland, forming part of the Channel. The chemicals are thought to have entered the environment from wastewater treatment plants, sewage outflows, historic landfills and nearby military sites.
Researchers said their findings highlighted the need to monitor chemicals in combination and to make a blanket ban on Pfas part of the government’s water reform agenda.
Prof Alex Ford, a biologist at the University of Portsmouth and one of the study’s authors, said: “If there was an oil spill in the Solent that industry would have to pay for the restoration of those habitats, but that doesn’t happen with sewage.
But he added: “This is one thing I don’t necessarily pin on the water companies because they don’t have the capacity to treat these compounds. That’s why they should be banned at source.”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) are a family of chemicals used for their long-lasting qualities in various industries and household products including non-stick cookware, food packaging and waterproof clothing.
They are often known as “forever chemicals” because they are not easily broken down and have been linked to a range of diseases in humans and wildlife by scientists.
Researchers analysed government data, testing at water utilities, and their own samples from a dozen species of fish, seaweed and invertebrates. They found Pfas were entering the Solent in treated effluent from wastewater plants in Portsmouth and Fareham operated by Southern Water, the utility that provides drinking water and sewerage for Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The study also mapped 194 combined sewer overflow outfalls and more than 500 nearby historic landfills that researchers believe could also contribute to the pollution.
Some of the samples taken from marine wildlife contained individual chemicals above existing safe legal limits, including in the livers of harbour porpoises. Far more failed a newer European Union test for combined toxicity, which weighs the relative potency of Pfas combined.
All but seven of English surface waters tested fail the combined test, as would a number of remote lochs and burns in Scotland.
“I don’t think our story is specific to the Solent,” Ford said. “I think we would see a pattern all around the UK…”
