A House of Commons committee has called for urgent restrictions on the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer goods, following a visit to a North Yorkshire town with the highest levels of contamination in the UK. The environmental audit committee (EAC) heard from residents of Bentham, where decades of firefighting foam production have left a legacy of industrial-scale PFAS pollution.
PFAS, colloquially known as “forever chemicals”, do not break down in the environment and accumulate in the bodies of living things. Evidence links them to cancers, immune suppression, infertility, and developmental problems. During the visit, residents with cancer expressed concern about high PFAS levels in their blood, while others worried about exposure from foraging and fishing locally.
The committee’s report, published on Thursday, recommends banning PFAS in school uniforms, cookware, and food packaging from next year. “The longer action is delayed in addressing the risks of PFAS, the greater the health, economic and environmental burdens will become,” MPs warned.
Committee chair Toby Perkins said the government’s earlier PFAS plan was “short on decisive actions” and appeared “to be a plan to eventually have a plan”. The EAC called for group-based restrictions to avoid a “whack-a-mole” approach where banned substances are replaced with potentially worse alternatives. “We do not need to panic, but we do need to take sensible precautions,” Perkins added.
Environmental campaigners gave a mixed response. Dr Shubhi Sharma of Chem Trust welcomed the report and urged swift action in line with EU restrictions. However, Jonatan Kleimark of ChemSec argued the proposals were too limited, noting that barely 20% of PFAS exposure comes from consumer goods, while industrial uses and pesticides are largely ignored.
