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00:00On Panorama, we investigate the toxic chemicals you can't see.
00:11The most harmful chemicals, you can smell them, you can see them.
00:17This is one of the thousands of sites around the UK that are discharging into the environment.
00:23Forever Chemicals, also known as PFAS, are used in thousands of products worldwide.
00:31They're in our homes, our food, and our water.
00:35We've all been exposed to them.
00:38We've checked your PFAS levels.
00:40Have we found PFAS? Yes.
00:42The vast majority are legal, but some have been linked to serious harms.
00:48Some PFAS have been linked to kidney and liver cancer.
00:51By the time these effects happen, it's too late to do anything.
00:54The PFAS is there.
00:56We uncover the household items that contain forever chemicals.
01:01We've got here a really popular brand of children's coat for three-year-olds.
01:06This has been treated with a coating that resists water.
01:09That is PFAS.
01:10I'm speechless, really, to find it out.
01:14And ask, is the government doing enough to protect us?
01:18How concerned are you about them?
01:20Very concerned.
01:21I think we're really behind a lot of other countries on how we're dealing with PFAS pollution.
01:26I was a very agile person.
01:42Football, cricket, judo, athletics, marathon running.
01:47We went walking and I collapsed.
01:52I remember waking up in hospital and then found that my lung had passed here at that particular point.
01:59And it was equivalent to someone at 81 who had smoked all his life.
02:05I was 51-year-old and never smoked.
02:10Darren Ayres, now 59, can't know for sure, but is worried some of his health problems may be connected to a factory where he once worked.
02:22He used to handle forever chemicals there, including one that's now banned.
02:28I believe that the forever chemicals have impacted entirely on my health, on my future health.
02:39The health impact has made me a shell of what I shouldn't be.
02:46Completely devastated.
02:52The term forever chemicals refers to per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short.
03:03There are at least 10,000 different kinds of PFAS.
03:07I've come to the Royal Society of Chemistry to find out more about them.
03:12PFAS are a group of chemicals.
03:15Some people say there's over 10,000, 15,000 or even more.
03:19But they all share a common structure of having a carbon bonded with a fluorine atom.
03:25And this is an extremely strong bond chemically, which makes them extremely durable.
03:30And that's why sometimes they're called forever chemicals.
03:32Their discovery 60 years ago led to a revolutionary new product, Teflon.
03:41Teflon Silverstone, the tough nonstick surface with a heart of stone.
03:46Used to make nonstick pans and lots of other products,
03:50its ads were targeted at busy home cooks and it became an instant hit.
03:55PFAS can also be heat resistant, water and oil resistant.
04:01Forever chemicals are used in anything from waterproof clothes and electronics,
04:07to medical equipment and solar panels.
04:10But there's also a dark side.
04:17In the 1990s and 2000s, American company DuPont was accused of dumping a forever chemical called PFOA,
04:25contaminating water supplies in West Virginia.
04:29Hundreds of people in the state developed serious illnesses such as cancer.
04:34Since then, DuPont and other PFAS manufacturers have denied liability,
04:40but paid out more than $2 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits across the US.
04:49These PFAS don't break down.
04:51So once they get into our bodies, they stick around and they build up little by little,
04:55until they get to a point where it just starts to interfere with our systems.
04:59And depending on the kind of PFAS, they can affect our body in different ways.
05:03For example, some PFAS have been linked to thyroid problems, which affects our hormonal system.
05:09Some have been linked to kidney and liver cancer.
05:13And some PFAS have also been shown to affect our fertility.
05:17So we're talking about a really serious impact here.
05:20Yeah, when we are exposed to PFAS over time, by the time these effects happen,
05:24it's too late to do anything. The PFAS is there.
05:27There have been a series of international studies looking at the potential impact of PFAS on health,
05:33including on the development of unborn babies.
05:37PFAS does pass through the placenta to the baby, and it can affect the fetus's development.
05:43I've come to Bristol to meet Professor Kate Northstone.
05:52She's been tracking the health of 14,000 people since the mid-1990s,
05:57including hundreds of pregnant women and their babies.
06:02What kind of information were you collecting about those mothers?
06:06When the women were pregnant, we collected blood samples from them.
06:10And then when the children were born, we were able to measure really carefully their birth weight,
06:15their birth length and their head circumference, amongst other things.
06:21US scientists asked for access to the samples so they could do their own studies.
06:28We shipped over about 800 samples to the Centre for Disease Control in America,
06:34and they measured various levels of all of these different persistent chemicals that exist in our environment.
06:39Every single woman in our study had showed some level of these chemicals in their blood.
06:45What has the data you've got from that study been able to tell you about PFAS chemicals?
06:51So we found that the women who were in the highest third had babies who were on average about 100 grams smaller,
06:59in terms of weight, compared to the women who had the lowest third level of chemicals.
07:04So it suggests that the exposure to these chemicals may in some way reduce the way that our children grow in the womb,
07:13so some kind of futile growth restriction.
07:16I have two children. I want to know if my family has been affected by forever chemicals.
07:26Ah, good afternoon, Patrin.
07:32Sabine Donnet, please come through.
07:34Thank you, nice to meet you.
07:35How are you?
07:36I'm OK, a bit nervous.
07:38Dr. Sabine Donnet specialises in preventative health.
07:42She's going to test my blood and urine for forever chemicals.
07:47Take a deep breath in.
07:49I'm not great with needles, but I've decided to give it a try.
07:53You're doing very lovely.
07:55There we go.
07:56So what we're trying to do here is really just identify, do you have PFAS in your blood?
08:05And I can tell you, you will, because I've never seen anybody that doesn't have.
08:10And what we then need to identify is which ones are you most in contact with?
08:14Can you eliminate those? And then we'll advise you on how to, if you can.
08:19While I'm waiting for my results, I head to Lancashire to meet Professor Patrick Byrne.
08:30He uses a remote-controlled boat to collect samples for testing.
08:35With a lot of these chemical pollutants like PFAS, you can't see it, you can't smell it, you can't taste it.
08:41So we almost believe it doesn't actually exist.
08:44But unfortunately, chemical pollution is widespread across the UK.
08:48Professor Byrne and I set off at the River Wire in Lancashire, which he says has a particular problem.
09:01In the UK, we have lots and lots of potential sources.
09:14Is that it? That's it, yeah.
09:17So the effluents from the AGC plant here, we know contain a variety of PFAS chemicals.
09:28The AGC chemicals plant manufactures the base materials used to produce heat-resistant and non-stick products.
09:36Until 2012, this site used the forever chemical PFOA, a specific type of chemical within the PFAS family, as part of this process.
09:47It voluntarily stopped using PFOA before it was banned in the UK in 2020 due to its links with cancer.
09:54The company now uses another forever chemical called EEA-NH4.
10:04Some is discharged into the river as part of effluent through this outflow pipe.
10:09So we know that in particular chemical EEA-NH4 is discharged from the AGC plant into the estuary here.
10:18AGC chemicals recognises that EEA-NH4 is reprotoxic, meaning it's associated with infertility and developmental disorders.
10:28Because there are no laws banning its release into the environment, AGC chemicals has a permit to do so.
10:38And that's totally legal?
10:40Totally legal.
10:41Yeah.
10:42AGC chemicals told Panorama it has been able to reduce emissions of EEA-NH4 being discharged into the river from nearly three quarters of a tonne a year to less than 10 kilograms in the first six months of this year.
10:59Downstream in the Weyer estuary, Dr David Megson has carried out extensive research on chemical contamination.
11:13Hi David, you alright?
11:14Yeah, really good, thanks.
11:15Nice to meet you.
11:16And says there are many other sources of PFAS impacting Britain's rivers.
11:20They've tested the water coming out of here and we've found hundreds of PFAS in the water in the vicinity.
11:27How concerned are you about them?
11:29Very concerned.
11:30I think we're really behind a lot of other countries on how we're dealing with PFAS pollution.
11:35He says effluent from wastewater treatment plants and runoff from landfill are major sources of forever chemicals in our rivers.
11:43And that can affect some fish.
11:45The chemicals are toxic, they're persistent, they're bio-accumulative and they end up in our fish.
11:51Personally, I've always thought eating fish was a good thing.
11:54They should be, but thanks to years of chemical pollution, there's a lot of nasty toxic pollutants within the fish as well.
12:07Dr Megson's also concerned that PFAS are contaminating other foods.
12:13You're going to have to explain why you brought me for this picnic.
12:16Again, a bit like the fish, thanks to what we've done with our chemical pollution, there's going to be PFAS in every one of the items that we've got in front of us here.
12:24So why would an innocent looking strawberry have these chemicals in it?
12:29In some instances, PFAS are added to our pesticides to help the pesticide stick better to the fruit.
12:35So when it rains, our pesticide doesn't wash off.
12:41The European Food Safety Authority says our greatest exposure to forever chemicals comes from food, particularly fish, meat, eggs, fruit and fruit products.
12:52Okay, would you like a glass of wine?
12:56Is this safe to drink?
12:59The wine is probably the item on this picnic basket that contains the most PFAS.
13:05Why would this have the most in it?
13:08So pesticides are applied to the grapes.
13:12The grapes, we then use hundreds of grapes to make our bottles of wine.
13:17We concentrate everything up and as the wider pesticide breaks down, that PFAS bit is left behind.
13:24I don't want to drink it now.
13:25No.
13:30Studies suggest there's a statistical link between some forever chemicals and ill health, calculated by looking at large groups of people.
13:39What it can't tell us is what our individual risk is.
13:48In Berkshire, Pam Kavanagh is preparing for the birth of her first baby.
13:54She and her partner Paul are keen to minimise their baby's exposure to chemicals.
14:00They're being visited by Dr Federica Amati.
14:03Hi, nice to meet you.
14:06Nice to meet you.
14:07She's studied how babies and children can be affected.
14:12I want to make sure that I do the right things to protect my baby and the family as well as they grow up.
14:20Pam has asked Dr Amati to identify potential sources of forever chemicals in her home.
14:27These pans have magical non-stick properties thanks to PFAS chemicals.
14:32Yeah.
14:33Unfortunately, there is evidence to suggest that the PFAS chemicals can leach to the food that's been cooked in them.
14:40When the non-stick layer is damaged, more of those PFAS chemicals leach into your food.
14:45If they are scratched, do get rid of them.
14:47But if you have a stainless steel pan or if you have ceramic, that's really better to cook with, especially at higher heat.
14:58When we drink tap water, we are, depending on where you live, at varying levels of exposure to PFAS.
15:05And one of the ways to reduce that is actually just to buy a water filter, whether that's a jug that you can pick up from the supermarket, which has filters in it, or you can get one that you can get installed into your actual sink.
15:18This is the sitting room.
15:20And what do you think I should think about in terms of the little one over here?
15:25So carpets can be treated with PFAS to make them more stain resistant.
15:29So hoovering your carpets every day and making sure you ventilate the room by opening the windows every single day is a good idea, because it really collects as house dust.
15:44With Dr Amati and Pam looking for potential forever chemicals in the home...
15:49Hi Stuart, you alright?
15:50I'm very well, thank you.
15:52I've come to meet Professor Stuart Harrod, who's also worried about children's exposure to forever chemicals.
15:59Young children are at a key stage of the development of all sorts of important biological systems within the body.
16:06And therefore, that means that they're much more vulnerable to the adverse effects that this exposure might cause.
16:15There are some products aimed at children which claim to be PFAS free, but aren't.
16:22Professor Harrod's agreed to test this child's coat from Mountain Warehouse.
16:27Although there's no obligation to say if forever chemicals are used, the company's website says none of its children's products are made with them.
16:36So we know outdoor clothing, for example, if that comes into prolonged contact with human skin, there's the potential, if they have PFAS in these fabrics, for it then to be absorbed across the skin.
16:50The professor's test result reveals the presence of PFAS in the coat.
16:56Dr Amati shows it as an example to Pam.
17:00We've got here a really popular brand of children's coat for three year olds.
17:04This coat literally tells you this fabric has been treated with a coating that resists water and therefore gives it improved durability in wet conditions.
17:13That is PFAS.
17:14I'm out of words, speechless really, to find that out.
17:19Mountain Warehouse told Panorama it's working to eliminate PFAS from all its products as soon as possible, and that its children's clothing manufactured since 2023 is PFAS free.
17:31It says the jacket tested for Panorama was from a small amount of old stock manufactured more than three years ago, and although the coat meets UK safety standards, it's now withdrawn it from sale.
17:47Back in Lancashire, the Environment Agency is testing the soil in gardens and allotments close to the AGC chemical site.
18:06They're trying to work out if local people are at risk from the now banned forever chemical PFOA.
18:13It was used legally here by AGC chemicals and before it, the chemical company ICI.
18:22Of all the samples that were taken, roughly 99% had this particular chemical within it.
18:30It is a chemical that can bioaccumulate, so once it goes into the environment, it has the potential to stay there.
18:39The Environment Agency found the average amount of PFOA in the allotment soil to be four times the level it assesses as safe.
18:52Wire Council has told allotment users to take a better safe than sorry approach to eating their own produce.
18:59AGC chemicals told Panorama, it recognises the concerns of residents whose houses were built close to the ICI site after it closed.
19:12It says its chemical processes and products are already rigorously monitored and controlled and is compliant with current UK and EU laws and regulations.
19:24It says both it and an independent third party it's commissioned are investigating legacy contamination and is committed to sharing the results with the relevant authorities.
19:35Darren Ayers worked in the chemicals industry for 30 years.
19:45He's particularly concerned that repeated exposure to the forever chemical PFOA while working at AGC chemicals from 2007 to 2014 could have contributed to some of his health problems.
20:00No person who were working with it knew the effects of this. It was called soap. So we mixed in open tubs, containers. I was constantly taking pipe work off, discharging the contents and then routinely cleaning these things out.
20:26So it was a constant exposure. I was called an ectotone.
20:33Darren's blood has been tested for forever chemicals including PFOA and his levels were lower than he expected at three nanograms per milliliter.
20:43It could mean he avoided contamination or the PFOA has moved from his blood to his organs. He'd need more tests to confirm this.
20:51I've been embarrassed to go out because people see me shuffling or trying to walk or in a wheelchair. I can't do anything. I can't ride a bike. I can't walk with the grandkids. I can't take the dog for a walk. I would like to see my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, my great nieces and nephews grow up. I ain't gonna get that.
21:12AGC Chemicals told Panorama it would be inappropriate to comment on the allegations of individual former workers.
21:21It says it strives to meet the highest standards to safeguard staff, health and security at work and that the health and safety of employees past and present is of utmost importance.
21:34The area around AGC Chemicals is far from the only contaminated site in the UK. The Environment Agency says there are thousands of places where PFAS pose a potential risk including landfill sites, wastewater treatment works, airports and paper and textile factories.
21:57The scale of the challenge is huge. There's potentially 10,000 sites around the country. It is going to take some time to really address these issues and it is going to be costly. Anywhere between 30 billion and 120 billion pounds.
22:18I'm going back to see Dr. Sabine Donnet to get my own results. She says anything above two nanograms per milliliter of blood is associated with an increased risk to health.
22:38Hello, Catherine.
22:39I've had two children in recent years and pregnancy means I could have passed some PFAS onto my children. So could that have lowered my levels?
22:52We've checked your PFAS levels in your blood and in your urine. And I know it is always nerve wracking that you're saying do I have anything in my blood that shouldn't be there.
23:01But everybody that we have measured over the years has got PFAS levels. Okay. So have we found PFAS? Yes. Okay. So what's more important is to really just try to find out how do you compare to a safe level.
23:14The safe level would be less than two nanograms per milliliter. Okay. Your level is 9.8 nanograms per milliliter.
23:24Okay. So we definitely do find PFAS there. Okay. So what we need to add them to...
23:30And it's so much higher than I expected. I thought mine would be lower because I've recently had two children.
23:37Yeah. It would have been higher before the pregnancies for sure.
23:41Yeah. But it also makes me worry that I have passed on a lot to my kids if I had a lot before.
23:47You will have passed on for sure.
23:50Although my levels are high, there are ways to reduce them over time. Cutting out some everyday products that use forever chemicals should help.
24:02How are we going to help you? Okay. What's really going to be identifying is in where are you in contact with PFAS.
24:09And it can be anything from your hair colour to makeup and clearly within the household. Cleaning products, things like that.
24:16Oh, God. Okay. Bring down your exposure. Yeah.
24:20Are we going to be able to bring the level to zero? Unlikely. But you will be able to reduce that over the next two, three years with a strategy.
24:28And it's not just me that's being affected. The UK doesn't have an official safe level, so tends to use the European Food Safety Authority figure as a benchmark.
24:43It's set a safe intake level for the main PFAS that accumulates in the body at 4.4 nanograms per kilogram per week.
24:53But its analysis of what people in the UK eat suggests many of us are over that limit.
24:59Even its most conservative estimates suggest children are routinely twice the safe level, while toddlers could be around seven times what's considered safe.
25:11I want to know whether any action is being taken.
25:15We're banning them one by one. And it's taking us about five to ten years to ban each chemical.
25:21So each time we ban one, the manufacturers move on to the next one.
25:24I feel like it should be proven to be safe before it's discharged into the environment.
25:28The European Commission has decided it will take too long to gather evidence proving the harms of each chemical.
25:38Instead, it's consulting on an outright ban of all 10,000.
25:44The UK government says it's looking to ban or restrict some chemicals, but has not committed to a blanket ban.
25:57Hi everyone. My name is Stephanie Metzger. I work for the Royal Society of Chemistry. The RSC has over 60,000 members across the globe.
26:05In September, a parliamentary committee took evidence about whether the government's regulation of forever chemicals is fit for purpose.
26:15We need to look at the entire life cycle of the chemical. How it's manufactured, how it's used, and how it's managed at the end of its life. Controlling those risks at all those stages.
26:25Stephanie Metzger says action is needed now.
26:28Do you think the onus here is on individuals or on government to protect the public from the harms of PFAS?
26:34Ultimately, this is something that is a very widespread problem and it is something that the government is most enabled to take action on and to protect us.
26:46The Department for the Environment told Panorama it's committed to protecting human health and the environment from the risks posed by PFAS.
26:56That it's working at pace together with regulators to assess levels of PFAS in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform its approach to policy and regulation.
27:08Do you think that the UK should be following the EU in looking to ban PFAS chemicals?
27:17I think the UK is actively considering that, but there's been a lot of pushback from the industry.
27:26The Chemical Industries Association says it recognises the importance of transitioning away from those PFAS with an unacceptable risk,
27:35as well as those that have a high probability of presenting unacceptable risk.
27:40Industry is already working to transition away, but this is not straightforward.
27:46And that regulators and industry need to work together in setting transition periods for bringing alternatives to market.
27:54PFAS is everywhere. They're so persistent in the environment and in our bodies that it falls into this category of irreversible harm.
28:03Even if we're not totally sure of the full picture yet, if we don't do anything now, it will be too late once we get there.
28:10Forever chemicals have been used to create products we all depend on.
28:16But decades after their discovery, there's now a growing body of evidence linking them to serious health concerns.
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