A collaboration of non-governmental organizations have declared that a large sample of European drinking water has been found to contain a substance connected with forever chemicals.
The information comes after a study in May, which was also conducted by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) and its members, detected alarming amounts of PFAS in Europe’s rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are highly toxic chemicals with fluorine atoms heavily used in consumer products and industry. The chemicals are found in everyday objects such as cosmetics, non-stick pans, and fire extinguishers. They never break down and therefore remain in our bodies.
The recent study of EU water and forever chemicals
Samples for this most recent study, taken from tap and bottled water in 11 EU countries, were found to contain TFA (trifluoroacetic acid). A primary source of TFA is decaying PFAS used in some synthetic pesticides and cooling gases in refrigeration and air conditioning, as well as in a few other applications.
The study of the potential negative impact of PFAS and TFA on human health has been expanding and moving forward, but “surprisingly few toxicological studies are available,” according to PAN Europe.
The samples examined by the Water Technology Center in Karlsruhe, Germany, detected TFA in 34 of 36 tap water samples and in 12 of the 19 bottled mineral and spring waters. TFA levels in tap water scaled from undetectable to 4,100 nanograms/liter with an average of 740 ng/L, according to Phys.org.
TFA levels ranged from undetectable to 3,200 ng/L, with an average of 278 ng/L in mineral and spring waters. PAN Europe supported the proposal put forward by the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment to set a standard at 2,200 ng/L.
This “was set in such a way that the consumption of drinking water only fulfills 20 percent of the tolerable daily intake,” PAN Europe said. This threshold was surpassed in mineral water analyzed in Austria and in Paris. The tap water examined contained 2,100 ng/L.
According to European Union rules, beginning in 2026, all drinking water may not surpass 500 ng/L for all PFAs, and NGOs are asking that TFA be added to the list.
The report in May that an earlier decision to categorize TFA as “non-relevant” under EU pesticide regulations was “regrettable” given its “toxicological profile still leaves many questions unanswered,” as reported by Phys.org.
A study on rabbits and TFA exposure published recently found birth defects in young rabbits, bringing about concerns over this chemical.
PAN Europe has stated that urgent interventions are needed to address this “political failure,” beginning with a “rapid ban” on PFAS pesticides and re-consideration on the threat posed by individual chemicals such as TFA.
