eau-polluant-eternel

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

undefined undefined 4 février 2025 undefined 19h00

The Editor

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 or Lyon, or smaller towns like Lunel or Lavernat, 33 chemical compounds, the maximum the lab could test, were detected in tap water, including one that exceeds European limits.


The limit threshold for a persistent pollutant greatly exceeded in Nice

In 2024, the organization conducted various analyses in 30 French communes, with the help of the association Generations Futures. While PFAS were detected across all these cities, in 20 of them, the threshold exceeded the European standard set at 100 nanograms/liter. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was notably found in 24 of the analyzed waters. Unfortunately, TFA is “very rarely tested by regional health agencies during drinking water inspections,” the study indicates.

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 2600 ng/l.


Long-term harmful effects 

The issue is that those known as “ eternal pollutants ” encompass over 4700 molecules. They can be found both in the air, in water, and 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 the development of certain cancers. As the study explains, TFA is “ quasi indestructible in the environment ,” which means 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