Alarm as forever chemicals that can cause birth defects and cancer found in UK bottled AND tap water

Oct 19, 2024

By John Ely Deputy Health Editor For Mailonline 13:19 17 Oct 2024, updated 14:39 17 Oct 2024

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'Forever chemicals', used in everything from cookware to clothing in to make items stain and water resistant are present in both UK bottled and tap water, scientists say.

Earning their nickname as they can persist in the environment for thousands of years these industrial substances are more properly known as per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

Numerous studies have linked PFAS exposure to an increased risk of some cancers, birth defects, immune system problems and infertility.

Now British and Chinese experts have found PFAS in tap and bottled water supplies in both their countries.

But they said simple tips that anyone could do at home can drastically cut exposure levels.

In the study, experts analysed water supplies for 10 different types of PFAS, comparing levels in tap water Birmingham Worcester, Coventry, and Derby and the Chinese city of Shenzhen.

They also tested 112 bottled water samples sold in British and Chinese shops which were sourced from 15 countries around the world.

Results, published in the journal ACS ES&T Water, found PFAS were present in 99 per cent of all bottled water tested.

Analysis revealed levels were generally higher in bottled mineral water than non-mineral brands.

They also found PFAS were present in tap water, though levels were higher in China then in Britain.

'Forever chemicals' are a class of common industrial compounds that don't break down when they're released into the environment.

Humans are exposed to these chemicals after they've come in contact with food, soil or water reservoirs.

These chemicals — known more properly as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — are added to cookware, carpets, textiles and other items to make them more water- and stain-repellant.

PFAS contamination has been detected in water near manufacturing facilities, as well as at military bases and firefighting training facilities where flame-retardant foam is used.

The chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer, and damage to the immune system, as well as birth defects, smaller birth weights, and decreased vaccine response in children.

Only the tap water sampled in Shenzhen breached what experts, from the University of Birmingham, the Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, and Hainan University in Haikou in China set as the safe level in their study.

This is the 4nanograms (one nanogram representing a billionth of a gram) per litre of water recently promoted by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

For context, highest PFAS level recorded in the study was 9.2nanograms per litre.

However, another aspect of the study, what actions people could take to reduce the levels of PFAS exposure in drinking water, delivered promising results.

Experts found boiling the water or uses simple filtration jugs commonly available in stores reduced PFAS concentration by up to 90 per cent.

Professor Stuart Harrad, of Birmingham and a co-author of study said: 'While current PFAS levels in most water samples are not a major health concern, ongoing monitoring and regulation are crucial to protect public health.

Co-author Professor Yi Zheng, of Southern added: 'Increased awareness about the presence of PFAS in both tap and bottled water can lead to more informed choices by consumers, encouraging the use of water purification methods.'

However, he added that a person's exposure to PFAS in drinking water could be influenced by an individual's lifestyle choices and economic and this was an area that warranted further study.

Independent experts said while the findings of the recent study are interesting they are not a reason to panic.

Professor Oliver Jones, an expert in chemistry at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia, said the mere presence of PFAS in water supplies didn't guarantee harm would occur.

'Any discussion about toxicity is meaningless without both dose and context,' he said.

'For example, we know you can get skin cancer from exposure to UV light, but that does not mean you will get cancer as soon as you go outside.'

He also said PFAS, now being ubiquitous in the general environment, may have entered samples in other ways, and this is a limitation that should be acknowledged.

'Background contamination from clothes and lab equipment is a problem when assessing PFAS at such low levels, but the authors don’t say how they accounted for this in the main part of the paper,' he said.

Professor Jones concluded that while the paper was interesting 'it does not mean you need to avoid bottled (or tap) water'.

Dr Ovokeroye Abafe, an expert in environmental science at Brunel University of London who was also not involved in the study, said one of the main takeaways was how much PFAS exposure could be reduced by simple interventions.

'It is interesting to see very simple and easily adaptable home solutions that can significantly minimise the concentrations of PFAS in drinking water, thereby safeguarding public health,' he said.

'However, the sample size is relatively small, which is a limitation to be aware of.'

Concerns about PFAS have been growing for years, and while some have been banned in certain countries they remain widely used.

PFAS are found in a swathe of everyday items, from non-stick cookware, clothing, food packaging, carpets, paints, toiletries, and period products.

Studies have linked exposure to a host of health issues cancers of the kidney and testicles, lower immune response, impaired liver function, decreased birth weight and infertility.

PFAS were the subject of the 2019 Hollywood film Dark Waters starring Mark Ruffalo after a community’s water was poisoned by the chemicals from a local manufacturing plant.

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