The Environment Agency was warned about the “chronic threat” to the environment from firefighting foams containing PFAS “forever chemicals” as far back as 2003 – 20 years before it began regulating the chemicals, it has emerged.
The 200-page report The end report was obtained According to information provided to the Guardian through a Freedom of Information request, consultants commissioned by the Environment Agency carried out an environmental review of the foam, “with particular focus on its fluorosurfactant content”.
Fluorosurfactants are a type of PFAS, a group of about 10,000 chemicals that are linked to a variety of serious illnesses, including certain cancers. PFAS are now known as “forever chemicals” because they don't break down in the environment.
The report was never made public, but was intended to be used to inform Environment Agency policy developments “to minimise the environmental harm resulting from the use of firefighting foams”.
“When firefighting foam is released into the environment, whether during emergency use, training exercises or accidental spills, it can have adverse effects on local environmental conditions and the organisms living there,” the report's introduction states.
Now, more than 20 years later, British firefighters are finally I began to notice They have been exposed to these toxic chemicals for decades, and residents in the town that is home to a major manufacturer of the foam are questioning why the Environment Agency failed to warn them about the long-term health and environmental effects of the chemicals.
Regulation of PFAS is increasing around the world. The US recently introduced tough limits on six PFAS chemicals commonly found in drinking water, and the EU plans to restrict the use of around 10,000 PFAS. However, England and Wales have no specific standards for PFAS in their drinking water regulations, and only two PFASs are regulated in the UK: PFOS and PFOA. In April this year, the UK Health and Safety Executive launched a consultation on plans to restrict the use of PFAS in firefighting foams.
After reviewing product data sheets from three UK firefighting foam manufacturers at the time (including Angus Fire, whose factory in Bentham, North Yorkshire, was known to be the UK's worst affected by PFAS), the report's authors concluded that many of the ingredients in the foam were “potentially toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative.”
As such, the researchers said, “there appears to be a contradiction” between the overall low toxicity and biodegradability of the final product and the persistence of the foam components.
The report goes on to explain that this is likely due to the low concentrations of these chemicals, but the authors write that these “trace components, if they persist and/or bioaccumulate, could have long-term effects on the environment even after firefighting activities have ceased.”
“Under these conditions, foam components may pose a chronic threat to aquatic life,” they added.
Responding to the report, Dr Shubhi Sharma, from the charity Chem Trust, said: “We are shocked to learn that the Environment Agency was advised more than 20 years ago about the toxicity and persistence of PFAS-based firefighting foams which have been linked to cancer in firefighters. This PFAS contamination scandal is the result of inaction and regulatory failure.”
In the report, the authors acknowledge that in situations where the primary objective of emergency firefighting is the protection of life and property, the environmental impact of foams is “clearly a secondary concern.” However, they say, “when firefighting foams are used for training purposes, their environmental impact needs to take precedence.”
Sean Comber, one of the report's original authors, said that several years after the report was completed, the Environment Agency issued certain environmental and human health limits for PFOS concentrations, and he “suspects” that the 2003 report was what prompted the Environment Agency to prioritise setting quality standards for PFOS.
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Ricardo La Torre, national head of the firefighters' union, said the lack of regulation of permanent chemicals in firefighting foam was a “national scandal”.
“Despite knowing that firefighting foam contains these substances, the dangers have been covered up for decades, and successive governments and employers have ignored them, meaning firefighters have been exposed to these chemicals for far too long,” he said.
La Torre said the fact that calls for research into firefighting foams and warnings about the dangers of PFAS were “ignored” in 2003 was a “missed opportunity to protect the environment and save lives.” “The government and fire service employers need to take steps to prevent further exposure to PFAS and implement health monitoring of all firefighters,” he said.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We continue to develop the scientific understanding of PFAS and our evidence and expert advice has influenced government policy in this area since the 2000s. We are working with the Health and Safety Executive to develop wider restrictions on the use of PFAS in firefighting foams. [the chemicals regulation body] “UK Reach”
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “Britain's nature is under threat, which is why we immediately announced an accelerated review into legally binding environmental targets to better protect our natural environment, including how to best manage the risks from PFAS. We've also already announced plans to restrict firefighting foams and will announce more details in due course.”
Angus Fire has not breached any regulations with respect to PFAS manufactured or tested at its Bentham facility and has ceased testing of PFAS foams at the facility in 2022. A company spokesperson said: “It should be noted that understanding and regulation of PFAS chemicals has evolved over time and Angus has always sought to fully comply with its regulatory obligations. Angus Fire customers have been able to source training foams that do not contain PFAS chemicals for use in training their firefighters.”
