London, 4 December 2024 – The Environmental Industries Association (EIA) has expressed its support for the Poly and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances (Guidance) Bill introduced by Munira Wilson MP (Liberal Democrat) on 5th November 2024. The EIA, representing the majority of UK Environmental laboratories specialising in chemical analysis, applauds the increased parliamentary focus on PFAS.
In a letter to Munira Wilson MP, the EIA highlighted the contributions of its members to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the CIRIA Guidance on PFAS. The EIA, as the voice of the UK environmental services and technology sector, emphasised the importance of targeted regulations and bans on PFAS to mitigate their presence in human bodies and the environment.
The EIA’s working group on Remediation of Land and Groundwater and Environmental Analysis and Testing reviewed the Bill’s introduction and offered several observations:
- Health Impacts: The link between PFAS exposure and health issues such as decreased fertility, thyroid disease, miscarriage, reduced sperm quality, and cancer is still tentative. However, the accumulation of PFAS in the body and their excretion into the environment underscore the need for stringent regulations.
- Regulatory Challenges: The EIA noted the complexities of regulating PFAS as a chemical group due to their diverse properties and toxicity levels. A group-based approach, similar to that for petroleum hydrocarbons, could lead to either insufficient protection or overly stringent restrictions, with unintended consequences for public health and environmental safety.
- Replacement Issues: The introduction of new PFAS to replace banned ones presents additional challenges. The EIA advocates for better utilisation of the EU & UK REACH process to ensure the safety of new chemicals entering the market.
Grouping PFAS: The EIA critiqued the proposal by Ian Cousens, Tony Fletcher, and others to group PFAS by extreme persistence and ubiquitous presence, noting that not all PFAS are extremely persistent. The EIA supports a more nuanced approach to grouping PFAS to avoid regulatory loopholes.
Dr Ken Scally, Chair of the Environmental Analysis and Testing working group said he welcomed the introduction of the Private Members Bill by Munira Wilson MP representing the Twickenham Constituency. Dr Scally went on to say our members, representing the forefront of chemical analysis expertise in the UK, are committed to supporting evidence-based policy and regulation. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with policymakers to ensure that legislative efforts effectively balance environmental protection, public health, and scientific rigor.
The EIA celebrates the attention Munira Wilson’s Private Members Bill is generating and offers to provide leading national experts to advise on the Bill’s direction. This offer extends to Government Ministers to ensure comprehensive and effective legislation.
