I know that sometimes, it can feel like there are so many issues to sort out that getting a grip on one is like trying to shoot fish in a barrel. That is why it’s really important that we stick to simple principles, like the polluter pays. If you break it, you buy it and it’s your responsibility to fix it. That is exactly the case with PFAS, a group of over 10,000 synthetic chemicals that barely degrade in the natural environment, also known as ‘Forever chemicals’, which have polluted UK’s drinking water sources, supermarket food, our bodies, and even the iconic marine species such as harbour porpoises, which are also found in my constituency, South East Cornwall.
Their resistance to heat and ability to repel grease and water has led to their use in many areas of daily life, from sandwich wrappers to mobile phones. However, due to their persistence in the environment, PFAS pollution is everywhere, and the UK is no exception. Not a single river in England is in good chemical health due to cocktails of chemicals, including highly persistent chemicals such as PFAS. Tens of thousands of PFAS ‘hotspots’ have been detected across the UK and Europe. And more information about the UK’s most PFAS polluted sites has been coming to light recently, with communities being told to be ‘cautious’ about eating home grown produce and others recommended bloodletting carried out by medical professionals to help remove high levels of PFAS from their bodies.
This is a problem that affects both humans and animals. In my constituency of South East Cornwall, we are lucky to have harbour porpoises visiting our coastline. The harbour porpoise is widely loved and thought of as one of the most shy, charming whale species in the UK, they used to be known as ‘puffing pigs’ due to the noise they make when they come up for air. Between 2012 and 2014, 51 harbour porpoises around the UK were tested for a PFAS chemical, PFOS, which is linked to impacts on reproduction and the immune system in marine mammals. It was found in every single harbour porpoise tested.
It appears we are learning little from our recent past. Legacy pollutants banned in the UK in the 1980s called PCBs are still causing havoc for killer whales, harbour porpoises and grey seals today. There is clear evidence they are behind the decline in the UK’s killer whale population and evidence suggests higher concentrations of PCBs are connected to increased risk of infectious disease mortality for harbour porpoises.
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Data is mounting from other places in the world on the presence of PFAS in seals, whales, dolphins, fish and other wildlife. Whilst we do not know what harm all 10,000 of these chemicals are doing, we cannot wait for all the evidence before acting. The European Environment Agency highlight PCBs as a substance whose early warning signs of harm were ignored. Had evidence of harm been acted upon earlier, many years of PCB use would have been avoided, and we would have ‘a more manageable, less costly problem than we are faced with today’.
Marine life in Cornwall is an important part of our history, identity and economy. The only option we have to overcome this new toxic legacy is following the approach being taken by other countries of phasing out all PFAS over a number of years, in line with EU laws enabling smooth interaction and clarity for UK businesses. Many sectors that use PFAS already have viable PFAS-free alternatives, and rapid innovation is underway in others. To raise awareness, I will be hosting a parliamentary event in April on this growing issue. We need to ensure action is taken to prevent further pollution and accumulation of PFAS in our environment, and to finally learn from the toxic mistakes of our past.
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