The cost of cleaning up pollution linked to ‘forever chemicals’ could top £1trn over the next two decades, according to a new Europe-wide investigation.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), known commonly as forever chemicals, are a family of more than 10,000 human-made substances used in consumer and industrial products ranging from pizza boxes and non-stick pans to waterproof clothing and pharmaceuticals.
They are favoured by product manufacturers for their ability to repel oil and water, lubricate and helps things spread, but their near indestructible nature has caused PFAS to accumulate in the natural environment to such an extent that the cost of cleaning up toxic pollution linked to their presence could reach more than £1.6tn across the UK and Europe over a 20-year period, an annual bill of £84bn, research has found.
The investigation was carried out by the Forever Pollution Project, a cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration that has brought together journalists and experts across 16 countries to map for the first time the extent of PFAS contamination across Europe.
Articles warning of the cost of cleaning up PFAS pollution were published this week in titles including France’s Le Mondeand The Guardian in the UK.
In the UK alone, the costs of clean-up will reach £9.9bn a year if PFAS emissions remain unrestricted and uncontrolled, according to the findings.
Civil society organisations in the UK have previously called for PFAS to be banned, saying they pose an unacceptable risk to wildlife, human health and the wider environment. Campaigners have cited evidence that PFAS are accumulating in human bodies, including those of children, and that exposure poses an immediate threat to human health.
The Guardian reported that the UK Environment Agency has identified up to 10,000 high-risk sites in the UK that are contaminated with PFAS. The paper said the agency “is reeling at the potential costs involved in simply investigating four problem sites” and has told Defra that the associated bill is “frightening” and way beyond its budget.
The Forever Pollution Project also found evidence of industry using tactics pioneered by tobacco firms to fend off to efforts to restrict the production of forever chemicals, including political lobbying and industry-funded research.
In response to the investigation, Dorota Napierska, toxic-free circular economy policy officer at Zero Waste Europe, said: “Despite clear evidence of their harm, PFAS use and pollution continue to escalate, paving the way for a massive future crisis. This situation is unacceptable.”
Ali Ling of the St Thomas School of Engineering told The Guardian that the answer lies in restricting the chemicals’ use. “As we move forward, it will be more cost-effective to prevent PFAS from entering the environment through use restrictions and emissions reductions than to pay to treat PFAS in the environment.”
Defra told the paper in a statement: “This government is committed to protecting the environment from the risks posed by chemicals. We are rapidly reviewing the environmental improvement plan to deliver on our legally binding targets to save nature, which includes how to best manage the risks posed by PFAS.”
