MPs will examine growing concerns of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), as part of a new inquiry which begins today (25 June).
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) will hear evidence about the risks of the so-called 'forever chemicals', which includes research by the University of Portsmouth.
Cited in the official briefing ahead of the first inquiry session, the work of Professor Alex Ford , a marine biologist from the University's Institute of Marine Sciences in the School of the Environment and Life Sciences , is helping inform national conversations around the environmental and health risks associated with PFAS.
Last year, the University of Portsmouth published a major study in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society , which drew attention to the widespread presence of PFAS in marine environments and called for stricter regulatory limits. That research has already supported government moves to review the legal thresholds for PFAS contamination.
Professor Ford also recently co-authored a paper with international scientists on the classification of PFAS substances. Published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters , it argues for maintaining a comprehensive scientific definition of PFAS to avoid regulatory loopholes and ensure robust environmental protections.
PFAS are a complex group of nearly 15,000 synthetic substances used in consumer products around the world since the 1950s. They keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and are found in firefighting foam.
The so-called 'forever chemicals' - which some may recognise from the Hollywood movie 'Dark Waters' - don't break down easily in the environment. They have been linked to adverse effects on human health and wildlife.
