The PFAS Action Plan: Breast Cancer UK calls for a united approach to controlling forever chemicals

PFAS are used in everything from cookware to cosmetics and consist of a group of over 9000 individual chemicals. 

They have been found in human blood, the placenta, the liver and even breast milk. Alongside our charity partners we have lobbied for greater chemical regulation to recognise the potential health hazards of chemicals like PFAS, linked with potentially altering how our hormones work, which is important in the context of breast cancer. Today has seen a step forward in the movement to regulate these potentially harmful chemicals through the Government’s publishing of the PFAS Plan: building a safer future together, however the plan is relatively light on information about how health is impacted, and what is going to be done to monitor this within a human body context, a key area.   

The recognition from the plan that PFAS contamination is a public health concern is an achievement. Altogether this raises the point that regulation is needed in the UK, with the plan having three focuses including understanding PFAS sources; tackling PFAS pathways and reducing ongoing exposure to PFAS. The plan outlines the need for further research into the effect of PFAS on human health and points to evidence of different effects across different ages groups, including children being possibly more vulnerable to PFAS during their early development, an area we have highlighted in our own critical windows of susceptibility review paper.  

Whilst the plan addresses many areas for improvement, the focus on further developing UK REACH (the UK regulatory regime that aims to protect human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals) to align with that of the EU equivalent falls short, with only the restriction of PFAS in fire-fighting foams fully considered. The plan does nod to the consideration of further UK REACH restrictions, and mentions some alignment with EU REACH, including the restriction of various PFAS in consumer products, such as food packaging and cosmetics, an area we especially advocate for at Breast Cancer UK.   

The UK government also has a new ‘Chemical risks to human health’ website, wherein the plan has detailed that PFAS are to be included on this site, a positive step toward transparency for the UK public. The plan also mentions the review and assessment of PFAS in food, particularly in food contact materials such as pizza boxes or paper containers, and in water, with toxicological safety levels being reviewed.  

Importantly, as we know that PFAS are used in many everyday items, including fabrics that are stain and water repellent, as well as cleaning products, cosmetics and non-stick cookware, we welcome the plan to consider consumer products in the review of UK REACH restrictions, but would like to see a solid timeline for how these are phased out altogether, especially in non-essential items in the UK. 

Overall, Breast Cancer UK feels that the PFAS Plan is a step toward the recognition and regulation of PFAS in the UK, but the plan falls down on meaningful actions that will control PFAS at their source, arguably one of the most important points. Development of meaningful regulation will need to be swiftly implemented, given the longevity of PFAS in our environment. The plan’s indicative actions will need to be collaborative actions that span government departments and importantly work alongside charities, the public and industry to ensure the implementation is sustained and achieves its objectives. 

We look forward to working with the UK government on implementing this plan to protect the UK public from these potentially harmful chemicals that may affect breast cancer risk; however, the work is not complete on this, we will continue to lobby for tighter and more stringent regulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals that are linked to possibly increasing breast cancer risk for the entire UK population.  

For more on PFAS and our thoughts please see our PFAS factsheet here.