A new study on “forever chemicals” in the marine environment says that current legislation is not doing enough to protect the environment or public health against toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Research by the University of Portsmouth and the Marine Conservation Society, published in the journal ScienceDirect, found PFAS throughout the Solent at multiple levels. The researchers also found that levels of one of the most tightly regulated compounds - PFOS - exceeded both the British and EU legal safety limit for coastal waters by more than thirteen times at the sampling sites tested.
As they explain, PFAS are a family of nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals used in everyday products since the 1950s, from non-stick cookware and waterproof clothing to firefighting foam. As they are extremely resistant to degradation, they accumulate in the environment and in living organisms, earning them the nickname 'forever chemicals'.
PFAS have been linked to immune system disruption, liver damage and certain cancers in both humans and wildlife.
The team analysed a combination of newly collected samples and existing monitoring data in the Solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. They examined surface water, sediments, treated wastewater, and a wide range of marine life, from seaweeds and crabs to fish and harbour porpoises. They found local wastewater treatment plants - Budds Farm in Portsmouth and Peel Common in Fareham, which together serve around 650,000 people - were found to be releasing a wide range of PFAS into the environment in their treated effluents.
The study also mapped approximately 194 combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls and 546 historic landfill sites in close proximity to the Solent, highlighting the scale of potential sources that feed PFAS into the coastal system.
Among the marine wildlife tested, harbour porpoises showed the highest PFAS concentrations, with levels in liver tissue far exceeding the regulatory ecological threshold. Levels in fish, invertebrates, seaweeds, and other species were lower and, when judged against individual compound limits, mostly within legal boundaries.
However, when the researchers applied a more comprehensive approach - adding up the combined effect of all forever chemicals detected and expressing them as a single toxicity measure - the picture changed significantly.
Using this method, the majority of species sampled exceeded a European Food Safety Authority health benchmark, suggesting that examining chemicals one at a time may miss the bigger picture. The full study in Science Direct is here.
