SCIENTISTS say a chemical believed to be harmful to human reproduction has been found 98% of UK rivers they have tested.
Researchers sampled 32 rivers across the UK, and discovered noticeable traces of trifluoroacetic acid which means the ‘forever chemical’ will also be in the UK’s drinking water.
A ‘forever chemical’ means it breaks down extremely slowly and will, therefore, accumulate over time in nature.
The research team, from the University of York, tested five rivers in Wales, three in Northern Ireland, 14 in Scotland and 10 in northern England. The River Kelvin in Glasgow recorded the highest concentration. Only one of the waterways – the River Ness from Loch Ness to the Moray Firth – showed no traces.
The wider effects of forever chemicals – also known as PFAS – is still under research. In Germany, scientific studies on the impact of TFA among animals, have led to calls for it to be classed as toxic for reproduction.
“This molecule (TFA) is everywhere,” explained Alistair Boxall, professor of Environmental Science at the University of York.
“We will all be drinking water containing TFA every day – so we’ll be exposed throughout our lifetime. It’s that long-term, low level exposure that is the big concern.”
European studies over recent years have discovered TFA has entered the food chain, and traces have also been discovered in human blood and even breast milk. German authorities have stated that the levels of TFA in drinking water are currently four times what they were 20 years ago.
“Currently, there are no expected adverse health effects from consuming water or food contaminated with TFA,” Andreas Hensel, president of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), told the BBC.
“The new classification is an important step in preparing further measures to ensure that this remains the case in the future”.
The UK government doesn’t yet have legislation in place to tackle the levels of TFA in drinking water supplies, but the Drinking Water Inspectorate – body set up to monitor drinking water quality in England and Wales – has recently commissioned research.
“The information signposted by the University of York suggests that TFA can be formed from the degradation of PFAS-containing pesticides,” said the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s Principal Inspector Ann Bunting.
“It is important that the fate of pesticides and other chemicals in the environment is understood, in order to protect drinking water sources.”
Meanwhile, Water UK – a trade association for the UK’s water industry – stated: “We want to see PFAS, including TFA, banned and the development of a national plan to remove it from the environment which should be paid for by manufacturers.”
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