19 Feb 2026

Image description: A wide view of a lake, grass and mountains in Cockermouth Cumbria. Photo by Joy Roxas on Unsplash Discovery and investigation of ‘toxic pollution hotspots’  The Guardian has exclusively revealed a number of ‘toxic pollution hotspots’ has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing “forever chemical” Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites.  Pfos is a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (Pfas), […]

05 Feb 2026

Photo by Mukesh Sharma on Unsplash   Government plans increased testing for ‘forever chemicals’ The UK government has launched the first-ever national PFAS plan to tackle so-called ‘forever chemicals’, which have prompted environmental and health concerns. Introducing the plan, Emma Hardy, the Minister for Water and Flooding, said PFAS posed “a long-term challenge for not […]

11 Dec 2025

Image description: Water being poured from a bottle into a glass. Image by congerdesign / pixabay.   Drinking water contaminated with PFAS chemicals significantly increases the risk of infant mortality and harm to newborns, according to groundbreaking University of Arizona research examining 11,000 births in New Hampshire. The peer-reviewed study found that consuming well water […]

02 Dec 2025

Photo by Gustavo Quepóns   The UK Government published its revised Environmental Improvement Plan on 1 December 2025, setting out a roadmap for restoring England’s environment through ten long-term goals covering restored nature, air, water, chemicals and pesticides, waste, resources, climate change, environmental hazards, biosecurity and access to nature. The cross-government plan commits to “cleaning up our rivers, lakes […]

06 Nov 2025

Image description: water pouring out of a tap, with spray visible. Photo by Imani on Unsplash.   The drinking water watchdog for England and Wales has ordered companies to act after “forever chemicals” linked to cancer and other conditions were found in untreated water sources at levels it said “could constitute a potential danger to […]

30 Oct 2025

Image description: Colourful Oil Spill on Muddy Ground. Photo by Abdulrahman Abubakar / Pexels The Royal Society has issued a stark warning about the risks posed by unregulated chemical mixtures in UK rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Its latest report, Chemical mixtures in aquatic environments: understanding and preventing harm, argues that current regulatory frameworks are […]

09 Oct 2025

Image description: Water cascading down rocks. Photo by Gary Yost on Unsplash.   A new £2 million research initiative has been launched to investigate the growing threat of so-called “forever chemicals” in UK rivers and their impact on wildlife. The project, titled UNSaFE (UNderstanding the Scale, Sources, Fate and Effects of PFAS pollution), is funded […]