A map of where PFAS had been found across the UK and Europe. The problem with this is, if you see an area that doesn't have many dots on it, there aren't any samples showing PFAS. It just means that the organisations haven't sampled that area. Or it may mean that. There are 17,000 sites where sampling had picked up more than 10 nanograms per liter of PFAS in the water or soils. And then a thousand or so that had around a thousand nanograms per Liter or more.
Madeleine Finlay speaks to environmental journalist Rachel Salvidge about PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’, which have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe. Rachel explains what they are, how harmful they can be, and what can be done to mitigate their effects. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod