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Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Asked by Ruth JonesLabourDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 12 February 2026UIN 111436

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of improving a) research, b) monitoring and c) labelling of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Answered by Emma Hardy

The Government published a PFAS Plan on 3 February 2026, which sets out its approach towards protecting human health and the environment from risks posed by PFAS.

Research is being commissioned and coordinated across the Government, regulators, academia and industry to close key evidence-gaps on PFAS health, environmental impacts and innovation of alternatives.

Defra has funded the Environmental Agency to develop one of the most capable PFAS monitoring programmes globally. Using improved analytical methods and data from a range of sources, it covers water, wildlife, soil and industrial emissions.

A number of the most harmful PFAS already have a mandatory classification and labelling for carcinogenicity under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging regime.

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