The water distributor published this Wednesday, September 4, the conclusions of an analysis campaign on Pfas, eternal pollutants. According to it, almost all of the measurements carried out on sites serving 20 million people comply with the standards.
Results “encouraging”. In a press release issued this Wednesday, September 4, the water distributor Veolia assures us that of the 2,400 drinking water collection points managed by the multinational in France, “99% are in compliance with Pfas standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.” Nicknamed eternal pollutants, these extremely persistent molecules are used in kitchen utensils, clothing and furniture, fire-fighting foam and personal hygiene products, before ending up in our glass of water. Some of them have harmful effects on health and many have not yet been studied.
In November, Veolia launched an analysis campaign on all of its water production points, serving more than 20 million inhabitants – more than a third of the French population –, “based on the quality thresholds in force”. The company studied the presence of the 20 Pfas identified as toxic by the European Union in a directive published in 2020, taken up three years later by France. To date, a quality limit of 0.1 µg / L has been set for the sum of these 20 Pfas in water intended for human consumption. “This campaign was carried out in anticipation of the obligation of health authorities to systematically integrate these parameters into their controls from July 1, 2026”specifies Veolia.
But the health threat is not over when we know that more than 4,700 of these molecules are found in tap water. In Europe, PFAS are present in water (whether surface, groundwater, drinking water, etc.), air, soil, plants and terrestrial organisms. At the beginning of July, a test campaign conducted by the Pesticide Action Network NGO network on a European scale revealed “alarming levels of contamination by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) – another Pfas”. Of the 36 tap water samples collected by NGOs in 11 countries, 94% contained TFA. TFA contamination is known, yet there are currently no legal limits in the EU.
«Plan d’action»
“The results we are publishing encourage us to redouble our efforts in the fight against emerging pollutants such as PFAS. In cases where quality limits are exceeded, Veolia’s role is to support the community in providing information to its users on the quality of the water distributed, as well as in the action plan to return to normal.”the group said in its press release, without revealing which collection points are affected.
Thanks to the stubbornness of the Green MP Nicolas Thierry, the question of the danger of PFAs for health and the environment is creeping into the public debate. After the National Assembly and despite some reservations from the government, the Senate adopted at the end of May an environmental bill to ban the sale of cosmetics or clothing containing these eternal pollutants, massively present in everyday life.
