Firm discharges 800kg/year of ‘forever chemical' into Lancashire river

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
30 Apr 2023 17:53

Environmental Agency discovered a very persistent, mobile, and dangerous PFAS in sewage legally dumped close to the Wyre estuary, as per a report by The Guardian.

PFAS chemicals are a class of forever chemicals used in firefighting foam and consumer products like non-stick cookware, waterproof textiles, and cosmetics. (AFP)

A chemical firm released significant amounts of a "forever chemical" that is "very persistent, mobile, and toxic" into the River Wyre in Lancashire every year, as per a new report by The Guardian. Shockingly, the company is not violating any rules.

Around 700 different types of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) may be present in the effluent from the AGC Chemicals Europe site in Thornton-Cleveleys, according to reports from The Guardian and Watershed Investigations earlier this year.

PFAS is a catch-all word for thousands of artificial substances that are referred to as "forever chemicals" since they won't degrade in the environment for a very long time. Some of them are also acknowledged to be toxic and can accumulate in the body.

The Environment Agency has now published its assessment of a PFAS called EEA-NH4 that was discovered in the effluent. It concluded that it was "very persistent" and "mobile" in the environment and "toxic" because it was categorized as "reprotoxic category 2," which means there was evidence to suggest it could interfere with fertility and human development in humans.

The agency calculated that an average of around 783kg of EEA-NH4 is discharged into the river each year using data provided by AGC Chemicals Europe, including monitoring data and effluent levels released into the River Wyre.

The report identifies a number of knowledge gaps, including whether or not this particular PFAS accumulates in both people and animals. It adds that "in the absence of data on the human clearance time or better predictive methods, it is not possible to draw a conclusion on the bioaccumulation potential of EEA-NH4 in air-breathing organisms."

There are more than 10,000 chemicals classified as PFAS, but only two of them - perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) - are currently subject to restrictions on production and use due to extensive research linking them to a number of diseases, including cancer and thyroid issues.

A spokesperson for AGC Chemicals Europe said as quoted by The Guardian that the company was in “full compliance with UK and EU regulations” and that it “sets the highest standards for itself as a responsible member of the local community and a sustainable business."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency said, “Since the 2000s, we have increased monitoring and either banned or highly restricted a number of PFAS both domestically and internationally. We are continuing to work with regulators to further understand the risks of PFAS and implement measures to address them. The Environment Agency is working with AGC Chemicals to further understand potential concerns about the presence of EEA-NH4 in the environment so that appropriate action can be taken.”

The Health and Safety Executive suggested earlier this month that PFAS emissions be reduced by creating limitations under the UK Reach chemical regulation framework and by establishing legal limits for PFAS in drinking water. The government declared that it had approved the findings.

Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden have submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency in the EU to restrict the production and use of roughly 10,000 PFAS in an effort to regulate them as a class, lower emissions, and create safer goods.