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

undefined undefined 24 janvier 2025 undefined 13h00

undefined undefined 24 janvier 2025 undefined 14h23

The Editor

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

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


The limit threshold of a long-lasting pollutant has been greatly exceeded in Paris

In 2024, the organization conducted various analyses in 30 French municipalities, with the help of the association Generations Future. While PFAS were detected in all these cities, in 20 of them, the levels exceeded the European standard set at 100 nanograms/liter. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was particularly found in 24 of the analyzed water samples. Unfortunately, the 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 a...

the highest TFA level, behind Moussac (Gard) where 13,000 ng/l were observed. Bruxerolles (Vienne) ranks third with 2,600 ng/l.


Long-term harmful effects 

The issue is that those referred to as « eternal pollutants » encompass more than 4,700 molecules. They can be 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, although it is not « as dangerous as PFOA or PFOS ». 

If the other analyzed PFAS “...remain in compliance 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.