Forever Chemicals: £1.6tn Cleanup Bill Looms for UK and Europe
The cost of cleaning up toxic PFAS pollution in the UK and Europe could exceed £1.6tn over 20 years, with annual costs reaching £84bn. In the UK alone, cleanup costs could reach £9.9bn annually if emissions remain uncontrolled. The Forever Lobbying Project's investigation revealed that PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," are ubiquitous in consumer products and industrial processes, linked to various health issues.
UK pollution hotspots are increasing, with 278 instances of untreated drinking water exceeding maximum guidance levels. Cleaning up existing legacy pollution in the UK is estimated to cost £428m annually for 20 years. The Environment Agency has identified up to 10,000 high-risk PFAS-contaminated sites, with investigation costs alone described as "frightening".
Experts suggest that restricting PFAS use is more cost-effective than environmental treatment. A YouGov survey found strong public support for stopping or controlling toxic PFAS use. The Royal Society of Chemistry is advocating for public protections against PFAS in the recent water special measures bill, urging the creation of a national PFAS inventory and stricter industrial discharge limits.
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Puraffinity is pleased to announce that its G400+ adsorbent media has been certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 standards for Point of Entry (POE) and Water Treatment Plant End Use applications The certifications confirm that G400+ meets the required health effects criteria for materials used in drinking water system components. This milestone enables Puraffinity to support installations where NSF-certified products are required, including municipal drinking water applications. “As a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), I see this certification as an important step for broader municipal adoption, ” said Neal Megonnell, Chief Commercial Officer at Puraffinity. “It enables utilities to deploy our technology where NSF compliance is required, and it strengthens our ability to scale PFAS treatment solutions while maintaining the highest standards of safety and performance.” Designed for highly effective PFAS removal with rapid kinetics, the advanced adsorbent media G400+ supports compact system design and efficient treatment across a wide range of water matrices. Building on this milestone, the company continues to advance water treatment solutions that help utilities and industry address PFAS compliance and protect drinking water quality.
Puraffinity partners with the U.S. Army ERDC to evaluate Puratech G400, an advanced adsorbent for PFAS removal, through lab and field trials comparing its performance and cost-effectiveness to existing PFAS treatment technologies
Puraffinity signs first commercial agreement for full-scale deployment of its PFAS removal technology
An exclusive panel featuring Puraffinity CEO Vincent Caillaud, who will join industry leaders to discuss cutting-edge solutions for combatting PFAS, “forever chemicals”, in drinking water. With PFAS contamination presenting urgent health challenges due to their extreme persistence, mobility, and health impacts at trace levels, this session will spotlight the realities of PFAS in water supplies, the latest science driving regulatory change, and the next generation of removal technologies.
WEFTEC 2025 is the world’s largest annual water quality conference and exhibition, held September 27–October 1, 2025, at McCormick Place in Chicago. It gathers over 20,000 water professionals from 100+ countries to explore cutting-edge water technologies, attend technical sessions and workshops, and network with sector leaders. The event features a massive exhibition of advanced solutions, educational opportunities, and speciality pavilions focused on topics like sustainability and digital innovation. Our CEO, Vincent Caillaud , and CCO, Neal Megonnell , will be in attendance.
In the Building World-Class Teams webinar series, Henrik Hagemann and Jessica Middlesmiss will be discussing how to Create Cultures that Scale