Committees

Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Inquiry

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of about 14,000 synthetic chemicals used in a wide variety of everyday products. For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.  

PFAS chemicals do not degrade easily in the environment and for this reason they have often been referred to as ‘forever’ chemicals. Research has indicated that PFAS can lead to a range of health issues, such as decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, a higher risk of certain cancers and immune system suppression.  

Our inquiry will consider whether enough is being done to address the risks of PFAS in the UK and whether research institutions and the Environment Agency are equipped to detect and monitor their impact. It will also explore what regulatory mechanisms are in place across the UK and how they compare to other jurisdictions around the world, such as the European Union and the United States of America.

Read the call for evidence for more information about this inquiry, and to find out how to submit written evidence through the Committee's online evidence submission portal.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 5:00pm on 26 May 2025.

Upcoming events

View all events

No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Wednesday 4 February 2026
2:30pm Public
Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - Oral evidence 4 February 2026
2:30pm
  • Liz Parkes MBE (Deputy Director for Climate Change, Chemicals & Markets at Environment Agency)
  • Matt Womersley (Environment and Business Manager – Chemicals Regulatory Development at Environment Agency)
  • Richard Daniels (Divisional Director of Chemicals Regulation Division at Health and Safety Executive)
3:30pm
  • Emma Hardy MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Water and Flooding) at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Marc Casale (Deputy Director, Chemicals & International at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 10 December 2025
3:30pm Public
Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - Oral evidence 10 December 2025
3:30pm
  • David Henderson (CEO at Water UK)
  • Dr David Megson (Reader in Chemistry and Environmental Forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University)
  • Vicky Robinson (Head of Sustainability at The Agricultural Industries Confederation)
2:30pm
  • Professor Elsie Sunderland (Fred Kavli Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University)
  • Professor Martyn Kirk (Professor of Applied Epidemiology at Australian National University)
  • Professor Alan Boobis OBE (Professor of Toxicology at Imperial College London)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 10 September 2025
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - Oral evidence 10 September 2025
2:30pm
  • Stuart Ede (Head of sustainability at AGC Chemicals Europe, Ltd.)
  • Dr Andy Joel (Technical Support Chemist at F2 Chemicals Ltd)
  • Stephanie Metzger (Policy Advisor - Sustainable Chemicals at Royal Society of Chemistry)
3:30pm
  • Duncan Sanders (Director for England at ATG Group)
  • Professor Luisa Orsini (Professor of Evolutionary Systems Biology and Environmental Omics at University of Birmingham, and Co-founder and CEO at Daphne Water Solutions Limited)
  • Dr Andrew Schwarz (Chief Business Officer at Fluorok)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 25 June 2025
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - Oral evidence 25 June 2025
2:30pm
  • Linsey Cottrell (Environmental Policy Officer at Conflict and Environment Observatory)
  • Dr Joanna Cloy (Senior Project Manager at Fidra)
  • Professor Michael Depledge CBE (Emeritus Professor at European Centre for Environment and Human Health)
3:30pm
  • Andrew Spence (Joint Managing Director at Britannia Fire Ltd)
  • Dr Nissanka Rajapakse (Group Head of Product Stewardship at Johnson Matthey)
  • Mark Hirlam (Global Sales Director at Delipac)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.

  • Email: eacom@parliament.uk
  • Address: Environmental Audit Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA