PFAS
About PFAS
PFAS (short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large family of man-made chemicals. They have been used since the 1940s in many industrial processes and everyday products – including firefighting foam, non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, sealants and a wide range of other items.
Scientific understanding of the sources, environmental concentrations, and risks of PFAS in the environment continues to develop nationally and globally. Because they breakdown slowly, they are often called "forever chemicals". They can persist in the environment and in people and some PFAS are linked with harmful health effects. Levels in the environment are raising concerns.
Role of SEPA
As Scotland’s environmental regulator, we are responsible for assessing and reducing the environmental impacts of chemicals such as PFAS. SEPA's role involves working with Scottish Government, partners across the public sector, research institutions, and industry. Through this we can understand, monitor and reduce inputs of these chemicals into the environment.
2025 PFAS monitoring programme
In 2025, SEPA reviewed its approach to monitoring PFAS in the water environment completing a pilot programme monitoring surface waters (rivers and lochs) and groundwaters. We measured 29 types of PFAS at 97 surface water sites and 37 groundwater sites. The PFAS chosen were based on legislative requirements, including PFAS listed in The Scotland River Basin District (Standards) Directions 2024 and substances of emerging concern.
This data, along with previous monitoring data (2009-2018), enables us to begin to characterise the current distribution of PFAS in Scotland’s environment. It supports SEPA with our mandatory reporting requirements, and will inform the development of regulatory approaches, further monitoring programmes and how we can implement actions set out in the recently published UK PFAS Plan.
PFAS report
- PFAS water quality monitoring report 2025 (MS Word, 3.4 MB)
- PFAS water quality monitoring 2025 dataset (MS Excel, 403 kB)
- PFAS water quality monitoring report 2025 overview