There is a man-made chemical. It was invented during the Manhattan Project. It repelled the elements, especially water. So, they used it to make the first ever waterproof coating for tanks. It was indestructible. Then some companies thought, “Hey, why just the battlefield? Why not bring this chemical into American homes?’

- Mark Ruffalo as attorney Rob Bilott in the film Dark Waters

It is best to be clear from the start on the chemistry, or at least the names and abbreviations for the chemicals discussed in this article and which form the basis of the story in the 2019 Hollywood film Dark Waters. 

PFAS or Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances are also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t degrade in the environment or the body.

They are used on a vast range of products for various uses, including keeping food from sticking to frying pans, making clothes and carpets more resistant to stains, waterproof clothing, waterproof cosmetics, and creating the most effective firefighting foam.

It is estimated that nearly all of us will have these chemicals within us. Scientists don’t yet know the full extent of the health risks. However, research on two types of PFAS, Perfluorooctanoic acid PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonate PFOS, has resulted in links being made to liver damage, kidney cancer and congenital disabilities.

“DuPont was one of those companies. So they took this chemical, PFOA, they renamed it C-8, and they made their own impenetrable coating but not for tanks, for pans. They called it Teflon. A shining symbol of American ingenuity made right here in the USA.”

- Mark Ruffalo as attorney Rob Bilott in the film Dark Waters

In America, much more is known about PFAS after court cases were fought resulting in companies having to pay many millions of dollars in damages to those affected by PFAS.

The film Dark Waters starring Mark Ruffalo, tells the story of Rob Billott, a US corporate defence attorney. Billott swapped allegiances and took on the chemicals giant Du Pont on behalf of plaintiffs (known as claimants in the UK) over Du Pont’s use of PFAS.

The class-action lawsuit involved Ohio and West Virginia residents who drank water contaminated by chemical releases from DuPont’s Washington Works facility near Parkersburg, West Virginia.

In 2017, Bilott won a $671 million settlement on behalf of around 3,500 plaintiffs claiming they had contracted diseases, including kidney and testicular cancer, from chemicals DuPont allegedly knew were dangerous but allowed to contaminate their drinking water anyway.

In a company statement published on their website, DuPont claims: “Today, our manufacturing and internal use is less than .01% of the total PFAS used in the world. While our use is extremely small, we’re actively pursuing alternatives to PFAS where possible in our manufacturing processes.”

These lawsuits have seen other companies making similar public announcements on their use of these forever chemicals, warnings being put on products and the US Government pledging to reduce the use of PFAS in the manufacture of products.

So, what of the efforts in the UK to limit these forever chemicals and research the effect that these everyday items which contain these compounds may be having on our health?

The UK has retained the EU's Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation and the EU's REACH Regulation, which control PFOA and PFOS in new products. The UK is also a signatory to the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to protect human health from Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including PFOS and PFOA.

However, concerns have recently been raised by Scientists at Greenwich university about the level of PFOS levels in UK drinking water. Scientists found that from 45 tap water samples, 25 contained PFASs, with four having levels exceeding 10ng/l, which, under current guidelines, means local healthcare professionals must be consulted and levels monitored.

Between 2007 and 2009 studies on 50 dead bodies of otters, a highly effective indicator of pollution in the environment, detected PFAS in all of them. 

Scientists found that 80% of the bodies had at least 12 different forever chemicals in their livers. A similar study of otters conducted between 2014 – 2019 found a similar range of PFAS in their bodies.

UK charities, including Breast Cancer UK, The Alliance for Cancer Prevention and the CHEM Trust, have all called on the government for a UK Chemicals Strategy, which includes phasing out "all very persistent chemicals, including the whole PFAS family and other halogenated chemicals".

While the US has acted off the back of substantial legal losses for companies, the UK seems reluctant to take the same steps. Perhaps it is waiting until the pressure becomes so great and the liabilities on the government and big business become too expensive that they are forced to act. 

It would be good for us all if we didn’t have to wait that long, and action was taken now to reduce the reliance on these invisible, invincible compounds.

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