Thursday, January 23, 2025, the UFC Que Choisir and Future generations published an overwhelming report on the “massive presence” of chemicals and eternal pollutants in the water network of 30 municipalities in France. Does this report worry you about your water consumption?
It's a study “worrying”in the words of the UFC Que Choisir, reported by the association, which collaborated with Générations Futures. According to a common study established on the water networks of several cities in France, as in Tours or Rouen, many eternal pollutants would be massively present in the water of our houses. The two associations highlight the presence of PFAS. “These almost indestructible and toxic substances for some of them were detected in 29 of the 30 samples analyzed by associations, including in large cities like Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux”they warn.
But then, what are the PFAS? Called treacherous and polyfluoroalkylakylas, these substances are chemicals “extremely persistent” Rejected massively into the environment by textile and agrifood industries, reports BFMTV. The samples taken in the vicinity of Tours and Rouen bring the UFC what to choose to speak of a “Chemical cocktail” where no less than ten types of eternal pollutants detected are mixed.
A “chemical cocktail” harmful to our body
-According to the two associations, “33 PFAS” were found in the drinking water of 30 municipalities according to the statements made. Future generations and the UFC Que Choisir also indicated the presence of “TFA, a residue in particular of certain pesticides, has been detected in 24 out of 30 samples, notably in Paris or in municipalities in the agglomerations of Poitiers and Orleans”. Among the 30 municipalities whose water has been analyzed, Paris reaches the second rank in terms of concentration, with 6,200 NG/L, behind Moussac, in the Gard (13,000 NG/L).
Despite this worrying observation, the rates observed, however, comply with a strictly regulatory point of view. “According to the approach adopted by France, from 2026, all of these samples are considered to be in conformity. On the other hand, if we apply more severe standards, for example the one used by Denmark, we would then have 80 % non-compliance “reports Olivier Andrault, Food Mission Manager at UFC Que Choisir. But then, what do these pollutants do on our body? According to the National Health Security Agency (ANSES): “Scientific work on certain known PFASs show that they can have deleterious effects for humans: increase in cholesterol levels, cancers, effects on fertility and development of the fetus.”
