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 alarming: whether in big cities like Paris or Lyon, or in smaller towns like Lunel or Lavernat, 33 chemical compounds, the maximum the laboratory was able to test for, were detected in tap water, including one that exceeds European limits.
✏️ dessin du jour pour @_lunion #polluants #pfas dans l’eau potable…#actu #dessindepresse pic.twitter.com/FUsa4zAWP8
— CHAUNU (@EmmanuelChaunu) January 24, 2025
The threshold limit of a persistent pollutant widely exceeded in Montpellier
In 2024, the organization conducted various analyses in 30 French municipalities, with the help of the association Generations Future. While PFAS were detected in each of these cities, in 20 of them, the level exceeds the European standard set at 100 nanograms/liter. Notably, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was found in 24 of the analyzed water samples. Unfortunately, the study indicates that TFA is "very seldom sought after by regional health agencies during drinking water checks."
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) takes the third spot with 2,600 ng/l.
Long-term harmful effects
The problem is that those known as “eternal pollutants” gather more than 4,700 molecules. They can be found in the air, in water, or in the human body. However, if exposure to these PFAS is prolonged, they can act as endocrine disruptors and have an impact on fertility and on 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 « much less strict than those of other countries », the organizations behind the study emphasize the importance of being more vigilant.
Researchers have determined what happens to people’s liver when they are exposed to #PFAS. A researcher says that these substances, which almost everyone has in their bodies, increase the risk of developing type 2 #diabetes and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver… pic.twitter.com/XFEz1DtTXj
— ScienceNews (@sciencenewsdk) January 24, 2025