Significant drop in levels of toxic 'forever' chemicals in England's rivers

Levels of the two most toxic "forever" chemicals in England's rivers have dropped by nearly a third over the last decade, according to new figures from the Environment Agency (EA). The decline in the chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, has been put down to stricter restrictions on their use in products after increasing evidence emerged of their damaging impact on human health and the environment.

Thousands of other forever chemicals, known officially as PFAS, remain in use but the regulator said its report showed the need for them all to be better monitored and regulated. PFAS were first developed in the 1930s in the US and became popular with companies making products like frying pans and firefighting foam because of their useful, oil-resistant, water-resistant and electrical properties.

They are called forever chemicals because their natural resistance means they take a very long time to break down naturally. The earliest types of these chemicals were called PFOS and PFOA.