Drinking water in Paris and other French cities is heavily contaminated with “forever chemicals”, which can affect fertility and cause certain cancers, according to a new study.
Trifluoroacetic acid was been found in the tap water of the majority of the cities where it was tested by the consumer protection group UFC-Que Choisir and the environmental NGO Générations Futures, which published their results on Thursday.
Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, or PFAS – commonly known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally.
It was found in the water of 24 of the 30 cities tested, and 20 of the cities had levels higher than the 100 nanograms per litre limit that the European Union will put on 20 regulated PFAS by 2026.
Paris has the second highest concentration, with 6,200 nanograms per litre, behind the small rural town of Moussac, in the southeast, with 13,000 nanograms per litre.
Moussac is near Salindres, where a plant for the Solvay group was producing TFA for use in pesticides until September.
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'Virtually indestructible'
Although TFA is not as dangerous as other “forever chemicals”, the study says its toxicity has not been disproved, and the chemical is “virtually indestructible in the environment”.
Furthermore, the presence of TFA is “rarely, if ever, checked by regional health agencies during drinking water controls”, according to the study.
The research involved testing for the presence of 33 PFAS in total and, other than TFA, their concentrations “remain in line with the standard chosen by France”, which is 100 nanograms per litre of the total, of 20 specific chemicals.
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PFAS, because of their resistance to extreme temperatures and corrosion, are used in items as varied as automotive parts and wind turbines, cosmetics and non-stick cookware.
However, they accumulate over time in the air, soil, water sources and in the human body, and studies have found that long-term exposure can affect fertility, and cause certain cancers and other health risks.
The European Commission intends to propose a ban on the use of PFAS, a class of more than 4,700 molecules, in consumer products, with exemptions for essential industrial uses, but is facing pushback from industry groups.
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(with AFP, Reuters)
