You can't fix what you haven't measured: the UK starts its first check for 'forever chemicals'

They are in non-stick pans, waterproof jackets and firefighting foam — and, in tiny amounts, in almost everyone's blood. PFAS, nicknamed 'forever chemicals' because they barely break down, have been used since the 1940s for their resistance to water, oil and heat, but what everyday exposure actually does to long-term health is still poorly understood. Now the UK is going to measure it properly for the first time. The UK Health Security Agency will test blood and urine samples already collected through the Health Survey for England to set a national baseline — not just for PFAS, of which there are more than 15,000 types, but also for lead, arsenic, bisphenols, phthalates and flame retardants. Current evidence suggests the likely health effects are limited, with the strongest links so far to raised cholesterol and lower birth weights — which is exactly why a real baseline matters: it turns worry into knowledge, and knowledge into policy. First results are expected next year.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: institutional program