Residents outraged after government failed to warn of threat lurking in their drinking water: 'We could have protected ourselves'

France is in the midst of its biggest water ban in history after discovering forever chemicals in the tap.

What's happening?

Officials sent a letter to some 60,000 people across 11 communes in the Haut-Rhin region, warning them that drinking tap water was prohibited for children under two years old, pregnant or breastfeeding people, and people with weak immune systems, according to the Guardian.

This came after tests showed PFAS in local tap water exceeded four times the recommended limit. At-risk residents will rely on bottled water through the end of the year, at which point authorities hope to have water filtration systems installed.

The contamination is being blamed on firefighting foam used at the local airport from the 1960s to 2017. Toxic residues filtered through soil into drinking water and people's bodies, the Guardian explained.

Why is this concerning?

PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that have been used in products such as nonstick cookware and water-resistant clothing as well as firefighting foams since the 1940s. These chemicals have been linked to a number of health concerns, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including decreased fertility, increased risk of cancer, and reduced ability of the body's immune system to fight infections.

Communities across the globe are coming to terms with the fact that their water and soil is contaminated with these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. New Mexico scientists recently announced that a lake there had the highest levels of PFAS found anywhere in the world, and they're worried about the impacts on wildlife and hunters.

The Guardian reported that no official testing of residents' blood was done to understand the health impacts of the contamination, but some local residents are taking matters into their own hands.

Bruno Wollenschneider, head of a 200-member residents association called Adra, organized his own testing of people in the Saint-Louis commune and sent 10 blood samples from Adra members to a lab. The most-tainted sample featured 22 micrograms per liter, and the average was 14.9 micrograms per liter, which would make people in Saint-Louis among the most contaminated 5-10% in France, the Guardian concluded, citing public health data.

"The state is there to protect us," Wollenschneider told the publication. "If people had been warned by the authorities, we could have protected ourselves, instead of continuing to drink water."

What's being done about PFAS?

In France, authorities estimate that nearly 3,000 people in the Haut-Rhin region are "vulnerable" to PFAS contamination. They will each get a single €80 payment to help cover the cost of bottled water, according to the Guardian. However, some people who don't necessarily fall into the "vulnerable" category feel slighted by this policy.

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"It doesn't just concern sensitive people — PFAS don't choose who they attack," resident Sandra Wiedemann said, adding that she has had two miscarriages and was diagnosed with endometriosis after moving to the region in 2020. She wonders if the ailments are related to the problem.

Researchers across the globe are working on ways to clear PFAS from the environment. For instance, a University of Illinois team found a way to remove the full spectrum of PFAS from water in a single process.

You can reduce your exposure by looking for PFAS-free brands, opting for nonstick cookware, and limiting your purchases of stain- or water-resistant clothing.

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