Drinking Water: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

(asked on 12th March 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will create a national chemicals regulator to improve coordination of (a) monitoring and (b) regulation of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.


Answered by
Robbie Moore Portrait
Robbie Moore
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 19th March 2024

Defra works closely with the other Government Departments, regulators and the Devolved Governments to monitor and assess levels of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks, in order to inform and develop policy and regulatory approaches in a coordinated way. Drinking water quality in England is of an exceptionally high standard and is among the best in the world. The UK is one of only six nations in the world with the maximum score possible in the 2022 Environmental Performance Index.

We are progressing work under the UK REACH regulatory regime to reduce PFAS emissions. This includes developing possible UK REACH restrictions, beginning with PFAS in fire-fighting foams, and also exploring further possible restrictions covering a wide range of industrial and consumer uses.

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