eau-potable-bordeaux-polluant-eternel

The drinking water in Bordeaux is heavily contaminated by a "forever chemical."

undefined undefined 5 février 2025 undefined 12h00

The Editor

©Alena Matrosova

The UFC Que-Choisir conducted a study on the presence of forever chemicals in French water. One of these is found in the majority of cities and exceeds the regulatory limit, particularly in Bordeaux.

Is drinking tap water becoming dangerous? Maybe. On Thursday, January 23, UFC-Que Choisir published its study on the presence of PFAS, or forever chemicals, in water. And the results are shocking: whether in big cities like Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, or in smaller towns like Lunel or Lavernat, 33 chemical compounds, the maximum the laboratory was able to test, have been detected in tap water, including one that exceeds European limits.


The limit threshold of a forever pollutant is largely exceeded in Bordeaux

In 2024, the organization conducted various analyses in 30 French municipalities, with the help of the association Generations Futures. While PFAS were detected in all of these cities, in 20 of them, the threshold exceeds the European standard set at 100 nanograms/liter. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was notably found in 24 of the tested waters. Unfortunately, TFA is "very rarely searched for by regional health agencies during drinking water checks", the study states.

With a concentration of 6200 ng/l, Paris ranks second among the studied cities with The highest TFA level, behind Moussac (Gard) where 13,000 ng/l have been observed. Bruxerolles (Vienne) comes in third place with 2,600 ng/l. 


Long-term harmful effects 

The issue is that those referred to as "eternal pollutants" gather more than 4,700 molecules. They can be found both in the air and in the water, as well as in the human body. If exposure to these PFAS continues for a long time, they can act as endocrine disruptors and have an impact on fertility and the development of certain cancers. As the study explains, TFA is "almost indestructible in the environment", which means exposure is heightened, even though it is not "as dangerous as PFOA or PFOS". 

If the other PFAS analyzed “remain compliant with the standard chosen by France” which is “far less strict than those of other countries ”, the organizations responsible for the study emphasize the importance of being more vigilant. On our part, we learn that "with the upcoming Danish standard on PFAS, which is even stricter, (2 ng/l for the sum of 4 specific molecules), 15 samples (out of 30) would exceed the acceptable thresholds, particularly in Bordeaux and Lyon." Not very reassuring!