A cross-party group of MPs has warned that the UK is falling behind Europe on tackling PFAS pollution and is urging the government to phase out non-essential uses of the harmful chemicals, including in kitchen equipment and school uniforms.
The Environmental Audit Committee today (23rd April) published a report warning that the government’s current action plan does not go far enough to address the risks posed by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of more than 10,000 man-made chemicals known as PFAS.
Due to their highly resistant qualities, PFAS are widely used in household products such as non-stick frying pans, cosmetics, and waterproof clothing, as well as by the military and emergency services. But those same qualities mean the chemicals can accumulate in the environment and in people’s bodies for decades. Some research suggests they could be linked to serious health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays and certain cancers.
Committee chair Toby Perkins MP said the government’s existing PFAS action plan appears to be a plan to eventually have a plan, rather than a concrete set of commitments to reduce and remediate these chemicals. He called for sensible precautions rather than panic, but warned that waiting will only make the problem worse.
The committee is urging the government to adopt an essential-use approach, meaning PFAS should only be permitted where absolutely necessary. MPs want to see rapid restrictions on non-essential consumer products, including food packaging, cookware and school uniforms, with a phased ban from 2027.
The report also warns that without group-based restrictions on entire classes of PFAS, regulators risk playing a futile game of whack-a-mole, where banned substances are simply replaced by equally harmful alternatives. Voluntary action by industry is not sufficient, the committee said.
On pollution clean-up, MPs are calling for the polluter pays principle to be applied. They want the government to consult by March 2027 on establishing a national PFAS remediation fund, potentially financed through an emissions levy on polluters. Where no responsible party can be identified, local authorities should receive central government funding to clean up contaminated sites.
The committee also raised serious concerns about the UK’s limited capacity to destroy PFAS once removed from the environment. Only two hazardous waste incinerators in the country are permitted to destroy these chemicals. MPs have called for urgent investment in research into alternative destruction technologies.
Other European nations have already taken stronger steps to ban PFAS than the UK. The committee warned that British citizens and the environment risk continued exposure at higher levels than European counterparts if the government fails to catch up.
As part of the EAC inquiry, a private roundtable was held with residents of Bentham, a North Yorkshire town at the centre of a major PFAS contamination scare. The locals described serious health conditions, including cancer and demanded answers about a former firefighting foam production site that has left soil and groundwater contaminated for decades.
Two long-term residents told MPs they had received blood tests showing elevated PFAS levels. Both suffer from serious illnesses. In one case, a participant’s PFAS levels were even higher than those of a relative who had worked directly at a PFAS manufacturing site, yet that relative had lower blood levels and no comparable health effects.
‘Not knowing the impact is the worst part,’ one participant said, pointing to the absence of agreed safe thresholds as a major barrier to understanding personal risk.
Residents suggested possible exposure routes ranging from foraging local food and fishing in the nearby river to historic airborne pollution from burning at the former manufacturing site. Some even proposed that PFAS could be transferring through pollen and bees into local honey, which they suggested might act as a bioindicator.
However, the meeting also heard that the community is deeply split. While some are desperate for action, others fear speaking out will damage the town’s reputation. ‘Support is more often expressed privately,’ one participant noted.
Frustration also focused on the difficulty of obtaining PFAS testing, with residents pointing to limited UK lab capability and private test costs of around £750 per person.
Lawyers from Leigh Day – who are investigating PFAS pollution on behalf of residents in Bentham (and Thornton Cleveleys) – have welcomed the recommendations in the report but insist action must follow.
Leigh Day partner Sarah Moore, who leads the firm’s PFAS investigations, said: ‘The Environmental Audit Committee’s PFAS report sends a clear message to the government and industry that it is time to take decisive action in relation to PFAS. It is a call to shift from monitoring-mode to prevention and clean-up mode.
‘From our work investigating PFAS pollution in Bentham and Thornton Cleveleys, we know first-hand how communities are impacted. The recommendations from the report have the potential to be a game-changer for improving how the UK deals with these chemicals, and stop its regulations becoming adrift from the rest of Europe. We urge the government to act on these findings, and ensure that the report’s recommendations do not remain just that.’
The full report can be read here.
Photo: Maria Baranova