What are PFAS and why are they controversial?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of thousands of man-made chemicals used in a wide range of consumer products, from waterproof clothing to electronics. They are valued for their non-stick and highly durable properties, with chemical bonds so strong they can persist in the environment for tens of thousands of years, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals”.
Growing evidence links PFAS exposure to multiple risks for human and environmental health. Two of the most widely used PFAS have already been largely banned after research associated them with several forms of cancer.
What did the UK government announce?
The government said its PFAS action plan sets out a “clear framework” for “coordinated action… to understand where these chemicals are coming from, how they spread and how to reduce public and environmental exposure”.
Environment minister Emma Hardy, responsible for chemical pollution, said PFAS pose “a long-term challenge for not only our health, but that of the nation’s vital ecosystems”, adding the government would “act decisively to reduce their harmful effects”.
Key measures in the plan
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A consultation on setting a statutory limit for PFAS in England’s public water supply regulations
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Expanded testing and monitoring of England’s estuaries and coastal waters
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Testing food packaging to determine whether it contains PFAS
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Launching a public-facing website “to raise the public’s awareness and understanding”
Campaigners: “Hard decisions are being dodged”
Environmental groups described the plan as “incredibly weak” and said it fails to match tougher approaches already adopted elsewhere in Europe.
Chloe Alexander, chemicals policy lead at Wildlife and Countryside Link, called the document a “crushingly disappointing framework that ducks the hard decisions”.
“Europe is already banning PFAS”
Alexander pointed to Denmark and France, where governments have already banned PFAS in some consumer products — including clothing and cosmetics — and moved to clean up contaminated sites. Meanwhile, EU-level efforts are already under way to introduce a bloc-wide restriction on PFAS use.
Shubhi Sharma, a scientific researcher at Chem Trust, argued the government’s repeated calls for more information were unnecessary and amounted to a delaying tactic. “This is not the action plan we were expecting, action has been deferred to an indefinite date in the future,” she said.
Experts split on the plan
Academic reactions were mixed.
Dr Mohamed Abdallah, chair in environmental chemistry at the University of Birmingham, said that given the significant risks posed by PFAS, it was “encouraging to see the UK is taking an active, holistic approach to regulating them and minimise the harmful effects before it’s too late”.
However, Prof Patrick Byrne, reader in hydrology and environmental pollution at Liverpool John Moores University, warned the plan has a major blind spot: “We don’t actually know how much of these chemicals are entering the environment, or where they are coming from.”
He added that simply measuring PFAS concentrations, as the plan suggests, will not solve the problem. Instead, he argued the UK must measure PFAS “loads” — the total amount released from different industries and contaminated sites — to identify the biggest polluters and target cleanup where it will have the greatest impact.
PFAS already widespread in UK wildlife and waters
Research published last year found that almost all English waters contained PFAS levels above proposed safety limits. Dolphins, otters, porpoises, fish and birds across the UK have also been found to carry PFAS in their tissue and organs, underlining how widespread contamination has become.
