Wednesday 10 December,
14.30, Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
On Wednesday, MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee will
consider the potential risks of PFAS chemicals contaminating
water and soil.
The Committee is examining whether enough is being done in the UK
to fully understand the potential risks of PFAS, whether
institutions are equipped to monitor their impact, and what
lessons the UK can learn from how they are regulated in other
countries.
In Wednesday's session, MPs will explore the main sources of PFAS
contamination in the UK's water, soil and atmosphere – including
the risks of PFAS in sewage sludge for agricultural applications–
and how these are monitored by organisations such as the
Environment Agency.
They will also consider what the water sector could do to remove
PFAS from water, and whether levies like those proposed in France
– costing €100 per 100g of PFAS discharged into water – could
reduce contamination and fund remediation here.
During the session, MPs will also hear from experts in PFAS
regulation in other countries, such as Australia and the United
States. Committee members are likely to ask how these countries
assess the toxicity of PFAS, its impact on health, and how
governments should prevent harm from PFAS without disrupting
businesses.
Witnesses
From 14.30:
- Professor Martyn Kirk, Professor of Applied Epidemiology and
National Health and Medical Research Council Fellow, Australian
National University
- Professor Elsie Sunderland, Fred Kavli Professor of
Environmental Chemistry, Professor of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, Harvard University
- Professor Alan Boobis OBE, Emeritus Professor of Toxicology,
Imperial College London
From 15.30:
- David Henderson, CEO, WaterUK
- Dr David Megson, Reader in Chemistry and Environmental
Forensics, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Vicky Robinson, Head of Sustainability, The Agricultural
Industries Confederation (AIC)
