The state of our water

Many harmful chemicals can be found in virtually everything we eat and drink. Through a mixture of Government corruption and ignorance, the rich and powerful chemical and food retail companies always seem to get their own way.

The lethal chemical Perfluorooctane sulfonate which is linked to birth defects and bladder cancer may soon be found in our drinking water.  This chemical is contained in firefighting foam and vast quantaties were used to extinguish the Buncefield oil depot blaze.  For public safety water companies have up until now been banned from distributing water which may have been contaminated by PFOS.  Due to the water shortage Government inspectors seem less concerned about this dangerous chemical getting into the water supply.  Before the Buncefield disaster only zero micrograms of PFOS per litre of water were considered safe. Overnight this figure has been raised to three.  For some unknown reason the EU directive to ban this dangerous chemical seems to have been delayed. You will be pleased to know that the safety of our drinking water had rested with Margaret Beckett while she was Environment Secretary.  The New Labour stalwart had fortunately got it right and drafted legislation to ban the importation of this chemical.  However water shortages seems to have delayed this ruling being put into practice.