Britain's government is starting its first study of how much PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, has built up in the UK population. The UK Health Security Agency will collect blood and urine samples to better understand any health risks the substances may pose.
The samples will come from the existing Health Survey for England. Beyond PFAS, the agency plans to set baseline levels for lead, arsenic, bisphenols, phthalates and flame retardants.
The agency said current evidence points to likely limited health impacts from PFAS. Studies of large populations have found the strongest links to raised cholesterol and lower birth weights.
Gaps in what exposure means
Dr. Edward Wynne-Evans, the agency's director of radiation, chemicals, climate and environmental hazards, said officials lack a clear picture of what different exposure levels mean for a person's long-term health. He said the study would help build an evidence base.
The government does not advise individuals to seek routine PFAS blood tests, Wynne-Evans said, because no established clinical intervention exists for people with elevated levels.
If you are going to do a test where you cannot recommend an action to follow, we would not normally recommend a test.
Dr. Edward Wynne-Evans, UK Health Security Agency
Even so, some residents near sites contaminated by the two known toxic PFAS have paid for their own tests. In September, tests found very high levels of PFOA, a cancer-causing forever chemical, in dozens of people living near a major chemical factory.
Chemicals built to last
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been used widely since the 1940s and 1950s because they resist water, oil and heat. They turn up in thousands of products, including cookware, clothing and firefighting foams, and they break down slowly in the environment.
The UK already bans two of them, PFOA and PFOS, which the World Health Organization says can raise cancer risk with prolonged exposure. Their known risks also include higher cholesterol, weaker antibody responses after childhood vaccines, thyroid-related effects and lower birth weights.
Research into the wider family remains young, with more than 15,000 types still to be studied.
Although at an individual level, the chances of you getting some bad disease or some adverse health effect is quite low.
Prof. Tony Fletcher, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Cutting exposure as the priority
Prof. Tony Fletcher of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, speaking before the study was announced, said he believes everyone carries low levels of PFAS in their blood. He said halting ongoing exposure is the key step to avoiding long-term effects.
