Environmental campaigners have warned that so-called ‘ forever chemicals’ are present in levels that exceed current safety limits in parts of the Solent.
Also known as PFAS, they are used in everyday products such as non stick cookware and waterproof coats and do not easily break down in the environment – so they end up in our waterways.
The latest warning follows testing by the University of Portsmouth.
Research by the university and the Marine Conservation Society tested for polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Solent – a stretch of water between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
It found PFAS were present in the water, sediment and throughout the food cycle.
Levels of one of the most tightly regulated compounds – PFOS – exceeded the UK and European Union (EU) legal safety limit for coastal waters by more than 13 times at the sampling sites tested.
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