eau-lyon-polluant-eternel

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

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The Editor

© Hanneke Wetzer/Shutterstock

UFC Que-Choisir conducted a study on the presence of forever chemicals in French water. One of these chemicals is found in most cities and exceeds the set standards, especially in Lyon.

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


The threshold limit of a forever chemical greatly exceeded in Lyon

In 2024, the organization conducted various analyses in 30 French municipalities with the help of the association Generations Futures. While PFAS were detected across all these cities, in 20 of them, the levels exceed the European standard set at 100 nanograms/liter. Notably, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was found in 24 of the analyzed water samples. Unfortunately, the study notes that TFA is “rarely tested for by regional health agencies during drinking water inspections.”

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 were observed. Bruxerolles (Vienne) comes in third with 2,600 ng/l.


Long-Term Harmful Effects 

The issue is that those known as “ eternal pollutants ” consist of over 4,700 molecules. They are found in the air, in water, and in the human body. If exposure to these PFAS is prolonged, 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 that exposure is heightened, even though it is not “ as dangerous as PFOA or PFOS .” 

If the other analyzed PFAS remain compliant with the standard chosen by France which is much less strict than those of other countries , the organizations behind the study emphasize the importance of being more vigilant.