UK ministers under pressure to tighten laws on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

By Rachel Salvidge and Leana Hosea | The Guardian | March 16, 2023

Read the full article by Rachel Salvidge and Leana Hosea (The Guardian)

"Pressure is building on UK ministers to tighten regulations on PFAS “forever chemicals” as research shows vast numbers of people are drinking water with levels that would be banned in the US.

On Tuesday, US president Joe Biden announced plans to drive down acceptable limits in drinking water to four nanograms per litre (4ng/l) for two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS and PFOA), and announced proposals to regulate four more – PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX Chemicals – as a mixture.

In England and Wales, the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s (DWI) guidelines allow levels of PFOS and PFOA in drinking water 25 times higher, at up to 100ng/l, and until 2021 the limit was 5,000ng/l for PFOA and 1,000ng/l for PFOS."