Toxic Pfas 55% more common in England’s waters than in Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA

I know little of this matter but in the TuS tradition can only comment on the contrast between Scotland and the rUK and leave you, the reader to decide how much it matters.

From the Guardian today, the above and:

Nearly all rivers, lakes and ponds in England tested for a range of Pfas, known as “forever chemicals”, exceed proposed new safety limits and 85% contain levels at least five times higher, analysis of official data reveals.

Out of 117 water bodies tested by the Environment Agency for multiple types of Pfas, 110 would fail the safety standard, according to analysis by Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Rivers Trust.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/11/toxic-pfas-above-proposed-safety-limits-in-almost-all-english-waters-tested

In Scotland, from the Ferret in March 2024:

Forever chemicals found in 55 per cent of Scottish drinking water Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were identified in 349 of the 631 samples taken by Scottish Water at drinking water sources around the country last year

https://theferret.scot/forever-chemicals-found-in-scottish-drinking-water/

So, 85% of England’s waters is 55% more than Scotland’s 55%.

4 thoughts on “Toxic Pfas 55% more common in England’s waters than in Scotland”

  1. Maybe the English are attempting to increase the rates of toxic waste related cancers in their own country to match the world beating rates of cancers in Scotland they’ve caused by their nuclear and toxic waste dumping activities off our west coast.

    Lol – only joking – it’s just regular English/British second rate joke nation incompetence as usual!

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  3. The media love terms like ‘forever chemicals’, which convey an ominous sense of fear, but, clearly, have little understanding of what the term connotes.

    These chemicals are so called because they are very UNREACTIVE. This means that if ingested they do not react chemically with our bodies, in the way that poisons like strichnine, would. However, this does not mean that they do not have the potential to cause damage by blocking or impeding the normal flow of body chemicals.

    However, the media do not go into this and provide data to indicate the probability of harming humans. It is likely that the probability of causing damage is far less than that caused by vehicle emissions.

    What the media like about ‘forever chemicals’ is the fear they can induce in some readers.

    Alasdair Macdonald

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    1. Hi there…I disagree with your statement above…unfortunately ..There is PLENTY evidence over many years of what pfas do…whole counties in the U.S getting absurdly high rates of various cancers through Dupont and there Teflon coatings… It’s all still being allowed everywhere in the name of business…. See the film Dark Waters… it’s a true story and shocking tip of the iceberg.

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