Water Supply

1,4-Dioxane is an unintentional manufacturing contaminant generated during the ethoxylation process used to make surfactants in foaming cleaning products and shampoos. It is not an added ingredient and will not appear…

2,4-D is one of the world's most widely used herbicides, killing broadleaf weeds while sparing grasses. It has been used in domestic lawns and gardens since the 1940s. The IARC classified it as a possible human carcin…

2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) is one of the oldest synthetic herbicides in continuous use — developed in the 1940s and used as a component of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. It remains widely available a…

6PPD-quinone is a chemical formed when 6PPD (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine) — an antioxidant preservative added to virtually all car tyres to prevent ozone cracking — reacts with atmospheric ozone…

Antimony trioxide is used as a flame retardant synergist in the plastic casings of electronic devices — it is combined with halogenated flame retardants to achieve required flammability ratings. It is present in the h…

Bifenthrin is one of the most potent and persistent synthetic pyrethroids used in consumer garden products — it is the active ingredient in popular UK ant killers, surface insect sprays, and crawling insect treatments…

Household chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is one of the most widely used domestic cleaning agents. While bleach itself is a highly reactive oxidiser, the greater long-term concern lies in the volatile byproducts…

Chlorothalonil was one of the most widely used fungicides in UK gardens and agriculture, applied to lawn turf to prevent fusarium patch and dollar spot disease, to vegetables to prevent blight, and to ornamental plant…

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide that has been widely used in agriculture, gardens, and homes since the 1960s. It works by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme essential for nerve function. Decades…

Copper-based fungicides — including Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate + slaked lime), copper hydroxide, and copper oxychloride — have been used in horticulture and agriculture for over 150 years and represent one of t…

Diuron is a persistent herbicide used in path, patio, and driveway weedkiller products — it kills weeds by blocking photosystem II in plants and remains active in soil for months, providing the "long-lasting" weed pre…

Glufosinate-ammonium is a non-selective contact herbicide used in consumer garden weedkiller products — positioned as a "glyphosate alternative" following consumer and retail pressure to reduce glyphosate use. It kill…

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide on earth. It is the active ingredient in Roundup and hundreds of equivalent products. IARC classified it as a probable human carcinogen in 2015. Internal Monsanto documents…

Glyphosate is the world's most widely sold herbicide and the active ingredient in Roundup and dozens of other consumer garden products sold in UK garden centres. It kills plants by inhibiting EPSPS, an enzyme in the s…

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide that has become the dominant active ingredient in pet flea and tick products — it is the active compound in Advantage, Advocate, and numerous veterinary spot-on products, as…

Lead is a heavy metal with no safe level of exposure for children. Even at blood levels once considered acceptable, lead causes permanent cognitive impairment, reduced IQ, behavioural problems, and ADHD-like symptoms.…

Lead enters drinking water primarily from lead pipes, lead solder in plumbing joints, and brass fittings — legacy infrastructure installed before the hazards of lead were understood. Approximately 3–4 million homes in…

Metaldehyde blue slug pellets were for decades the standard consumer garden product for slug and snail control — sold in every garden centre and supermarket in the UK. Metaldehyde works by disrupting the mucus product…

Microplastics are particles of plastic less than 5 mm in size, including nanoplastics smaller than 1 micrometre. The kitchen is one of the highest-density zones of microplastic release in the home — scratched non-stic…

Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that are taken up by plants and expressed in all tissues including pollen and nectar — meaning that insects feeding on treated plants receive a dose even when no spray has been…

Neonicotinoids are a class of systemic insecticides that act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of insects, causing paralysis and death. They are the most widely used insecticides globally. They are water-solubl…

Hormone-disrupting surfactants used extensively in textile manufacturing that remain as residues in finished garments, releasing nonylphenol — a potent synthetic oestrogen — during wear and washing into skin contact a…

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) are nonionic surfactants widely used in textile manufacturing as wetting agents, detergents, and emulsifiers during dyeing, scouring, and finishing processes. Though banned from use in E…

Perchlorate is an inorganic anion that inhibits iodide uptake by the thyroid gland with remarkable efficiency, reducing the raw material available for thyroid hormone synthesis. It is present in drinking water, leafy …

Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide used extensively in UK garden insecticide sprays, pet flea products, wood preservatives, and clothing treatments for tick and mosquito repellence. It kills insects by k…

PFAS are a family of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals defined by their extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds — the strongest in organic chemistry. This is why they do not break down: in the environment, or in the huma…

Artificial garden lawns — marketed as low-maintenance alternatives to real grass — are manufactured from polypropylene or polyethylene yarn tufted into a backing fabric and coated with various chemicals to improve UV …

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used as durable water repellent (DWR) coatings on outdoor clothing, rainwear, sportswear, and equipment since the 1990s. The original long-chain PFAS (PFOA and PFOS…

Pharmaceutical compounds enter the water cycle through excretion by patients taking medication, disposal of unused medicines down the toilet or sink, and discharge from pharmaceutical manufacturing. Conventional water…

Phosphates — primarily sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) — were the backbone of dishwasher and laundry detergent formulations for decades, acting as water softeners, builders, and food-soil dispersants. They were banned …

Every washing machine cycle involving synthetic clothing releases hundreds of thousands of microplastic fibres into wastewater — a single synthetic garment can shed more than 700,000 fibres per wash. These fibres — pr…

Every washing machine cycle involving synthetic clothing releases hundreds of thousands of microplastic fibres into wastewater — a single synthetic garment can shed more than 700,000 fibres per wash. These fibres — pr…

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the decay of uranium and radium in rocks and soil. It is colourless, odourless, and tasteless — entirely undetectable without a test. Radon seeps from the gro…

Silver nanoparticles are incorporated into sportswear, socks, workout clothing, and childrenswear under marketing claims including "antibacterial," "odour-resistant," "hygienic," and "antimicrobial." Silver ions relea…

Synthetic musks are the most widely used fragrance base notes in aftershaves, colognes, body washes, and deodorants — they provide the long-lasting, warm, skin-close scent that defines most masculine fragrance product…

Every wash of synthetic clothing releases hundreds of thousands of plastic microfibres into wastewater that pass through sewage treatment, accumulate in oceans, food chains, and ultimately human tissue, representing o…

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are disinfection byproducts formed when chlorine used to disinfect drinking water reacts with naturally occurring organic matter (humic and fulvic acids from decaying vegetation). The four regul…

Every time a tyre rotates against a road surface, microscopic particles of tyre rubber and asphalt are shed — this is tyre and road wear, and it is now recognised as the largest single source of microplastic pollution…