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Spotlight On: Forever Chemical Water Pollution At RAF Bases

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The global water crisis is, of course, characterised by a lack of supply, with resources around the world at risk because of the combined forces of climate change, extreme weather events, population growth and increasing urbanisation… but it’s also essential that we consider water quality at the same time – and pollution is a growing problem for us all.

 

While pollution sources such as sewage discharge and agricultural runoff are significant contributors to the problem, so too are forever chemicals, those that do not break down in nature and which are now heavily present in both tap and bottled water all over the world.

 

Research published late last year by the University of Birmingham, Hainan University in Haikou and Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, identified ten target perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water sources readily available for consumption in major urban centres.

 

Both perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were found in more than 99 per cent of bottled water samples taken from 15 countries around the world.

 

Of course, bottled water is simply that which has been extracted from groundwater sources, as well as rivers, lakes and streams – so regardless of whether you drink from bottled water or source supply from the tap, it seems that public health is being put at risk by the presence of these chemicals, even if they’re currently at levels that reportedly can’t cause harm to humans.

 

Where are forever chemicals most concentrated in the UK?

 

Interestingly, new analysis of documents from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations shows that some of the highest levels of these forever chemicals in the UK can be found near RAF bases.

 

PFAs are toxic and linked to a range of negative health outcomes, including thyroid disease, certain cancers and fertility issues. In all, two PFAs have been banned so far but there are over 10,000 still in use… many of which – it’s believed – have unknown toxic effects.

 

MoD environmental reports from between 2017 and 2022 show levels of both PFOA and PFOS as high as 7,700 nanograms per litre (ng/l) at RAF Benson in South Oxfordshire, with similar results for both RAF Waddington and Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

 

The maximum allowable concentration of forever chemicals in drinking water in England is 100ng/l. Anything above this and it’s possible that the water may present a health risk.

 

Of particular concern is RAF Waddington, which is within a drinking water supply area. Here, groundwater contamination is at more than five times the maximum amount permissible for drinking water levels.

 

And although RAF Coningsby isn’t in a drinking water zone, PFOS levels here were recorded at 3,550ng/l.

 

According to the MoD reports – which, incidentally, didn’t include human health risk assessments – it’s possible that PFAS compounds could biotransform and oxidise into other PFAS and PFOs, thus exacerbating surface and groundwater contamination to up to 164,317ng/l… and because there are spray irrigation sites nearby, this could potentially have an impact on the groundwater used for crops.

 

Back in 2022, a previous Guardian and Watershed Investigations study found that Duxford airfield (originally an RAF base) was the likely cause of PFOS-polluted potable water in South Cambridgeshire. The site is currently being investigated by the Environment Agency.

 

Part of the problem is that the MoD is a private water supplier and it’s not a legal requirement to test for PFAS under private water regulations. They are also not obliged to provide water quality data, according to the private water firm that manages MoD supplies.

 

Commenting on the findings, Dr David Megson – PFAS expert at Manchester Metropolitan University – told the news source: “The levels of PFOA and PFOS alone are a cause for concern. However, the additional test results show that this is only a tiny fraction of the total PFAS present at these sites. Over 100,000ng/l is an alarmingly high total PFAS value.”

 

He went on to observe: “Regulators and water companies currently go to great lengths to test for PFAS in our water. It is very concerning to think that potable water at these bases may not have undergone the same rigorous tests and so contaminated water may have been consumed by military personnel for years.”

 

Can forever chemicals be removed from water sources?

 

There are various ways in which forever chemicals can be removed from drinking water supplies.

 

Removal using a filter of some kind (such as carbon, for example) is a possibility, but here the filters have to be discarded properly, otherwise the chemicals can make their way into the environment once more.

 

Degradation is apparently the preferred method of PFAS removal, where the molecules are destroyed either by applying high temperatures or high pressure, by boiling the water, or burning the substances. However, these are energy-intensive practices and not sustainable.

 

Research is now ongoing to find out how these molecules can be destroyed at ambient temperatures and pressures using the likes of ultrasound, electricity or light.

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