Still their web page assures us they care.

I wrote the following to the Environment Agency querying why they allow Public Health even to think about the right to dump 200 tonnes per annum of Hexafluorosilicic acid into our drinking water. 

"Are you aware that HF acid is only 98% pure and 2 % of heavy metals get tipped in as well including mercury which is dangerous at parts per billion? Surely no mercury should be the aim and not the addition no matter how small."

This their reply:

The discharge of mercury and other metals is covered by the same permitting policy. Mercury is classed as a priority hazardous substance i.e. it is considered to be harmful, but discharges may still be permitted if the EQS and deterioration requirements are complied with. Section 1.4 of the permitting guidance gives some more detail on the requirements for priority hazardous substances.

HAF chairman sums it up:

So all toxic waste polluters have to do is drip feed it into the environment continuously over many years and that is fine, which indeed does happen in many areas.  The cumulative load is then the legacy that often gets take up by plants and animals.  Then people wonder why cancers and degenerative diseases are on the continuous rise.