European water authorities urge EU leaders to phase out PFAS

Argumentation builds on joint media investigation led by Le Monde (Image: ScienceDirect)

30 Jan 2025 by The Water Diplomat

The PFAS cycle

On January 14th, in a press release by EurEau, EU leaders were urged to act on per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS), to safeguard Europe’s water quality. PFAS substances are a class of more than 14,000 synthetic chemicals which have been used for more than 70 years in a broad range of industries and consumer products, a Nature study in 2024 reveals. Their popularity stems from the fact that they are water and oil repellent as well as being resistant to heat. Because of this, PFAS chemicals are used in the production of products such as lubricants, food packaging materials, extinguishing foam, non-stick coatings on pans, clothing, textiles, and cosmetics. However, despite their obvious utility, PFAS substances have raised concern because of their persistence in the environment (leading to them being popularly dubbed as ‘forever chemicals’). 

PFAS substances accumulate both in the environment and in the human body and, although the science of PFAS is still emerging and there are thousands of different chemical compounds to be considered, most of them are moderately to highly toxic and in humans they are currently associated with thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels, liver damage and kidney and testicular cancer. PFAS chemicals are pervasive across air, soil, and water. 

EurEau represents Europe’s drinking and wastewater sector and encompasses 38 national water services associations including public and private operators from 33 members. Together, EurEau members promote access to safe and reliable water services for Europe’s citizens and businesses, the management of water quality and resource efficiency through effective environmental protection. 

In the January press release, EurEau refers to a media investigation led by Le Monde, which in 2023 developed into the Forever Pollution Project, involving investigations by 29 journalists from across 12 European countries, as well as seven experts in sociology, environmental chemistry, and law. The Forever Pollution Project has compiled detailed data about 20 manufacturing facilities, 23,000 contaminated sites, 21,500 presumptively contaminated sites, and 231 known PFAS users. It highlights the critical need for EU policymakers to enforce a comprehensive ban on PFAS. 

EurEau President Pär Dalhielm also advocates for a universal ban on PFAS: "Our water service providers work tirelessly to deliver clean, safe, and affordable water to everyone. A universal ban on PFAS will not only help safeguard health but will also drive innovation and economic growth by encouraging the development of safer alternatives. The cost of inaction is far too high, especially if human health is at stake.”

The media investigation led by Le Monde coincides with the publication of EurEau’s research paper – “PFAS: a pre-requisite for a water resilient Europe”.  The paper highlights the impact of continued PFAS use on water resources and the financial cost of removing them from the water cycle. EurEau finds that the water sector will face an increase of up to €18 billion per year for treating drinking water alone. The estimated cost for treating wastewater and sewage sludge management will be even higher. 

In the paper, the threat of PFAS is explained by their persistence and, for many of them, their mobility, whereby it is estimated that 99% of them remain undetected in the environment due to current limitations in monitoring systems. 

One of the findings in the EurEau research paper is that out of the huge group of individual PFAS substances, only a few are well studied, whereby their impact on human health and the environment is known. As an example, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), an important starting substance for the chemical industry, is named in the research paper. TFA is extremely persistent and mobile and is known to move from air and soil, into water and plants, without being stopped by soil. This is why through plant uptake, elevated levels of TFA are said to be found in concentrations in juices and drinks and fruit or vegetable  purees for children. Concentration of TFA was compared to drinking water guideline values from The Netherlands (NL), Denmark (DK) and Germany (DE). All samples with measurable TFA concentrations exceeded the NL value, frequently surpassed the DK limit, and one juice passed the DE limit. 

PFAS levels in the human body increase with advancing age, and the study reveals numbers published by the EU on the fact that more than 14% of the European teenagers already exceed the blood serum level of 6.9 μg/L for 12 PFAS, derived from the EFSA guideline value for a tolerable weekly intake of 4.4 ng/kg body weight. 

A Belgian study finds that less than 1% of PFAS is measured in the environment through targeted analysis. Food is considered by far the most important PFAS intake route, followed by drinking water and smaller sources such as air and skin. Due to their intrinsic properties, PFAS will continue to build up in the environment and increasingly pollute surface water and groundwater used for drinking water production. Especially shallow groundwater bodies are said to be under threat of exceeding proposed European and national drinking water quality standards. Most of our surface water bodies have already reached PFAS concentration levels that require additional treatment before the water is safe for drinking. 

As far as drinking water is concerned, EurEau warns that their ambition to supplying safe and wholesome water to their customers at affordable prices and with the lowest environmental impact is in danger now. It is expected that within 10 years, PFAS concentrations in Dutch shallow groundwater will exceed national limits. And while PFAS concentrations are likely to go up, permissible concentrations in drinking water, as directed in the EU’s  Drinking Water Directive (DWD) will be reduced in the years to come. Next to that the problem arises that removing short and ultrashort chain PFAS molecules from water such as TFA, is more difficult and requires more advanced technologies, which means higher costs, requires 20% more abstracted water, is very energy intensive and creates a waste (brine) that is very difficult to dispose of.

As far as wastewater is concerned, EurEau’ s research paper finds that only the long chain PFAS chemicals, which are a minority, find their way into sewage sludge, but the rest of PFAS runs straight into the aquatic environment.  Even though the newly approved Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive ( UWWTD) from November 2024 does not set binding limit values for treated waste water, the plants will have to remove PFAS if it forms a threat to meeting the requirements of the EU’s DWD. Wastewater has a complex composition and treatment costs would be even higher than for drinking water. No adequate removal or destruction treatments for PFAS are currently available. And if the polluter pays principle is not applied, and PFAS keeps being used, Urban Wastewater Plants don’t see how they can play a role in a holistic societal solution, even if they would want to, it is said in the research paper.

According to EurEau’ s paper, PFAS is a threat to our societal resilience because it touches on society’s food security, the tourism sector, climate neutrality, and social coherence. EurEau calls for solid policy, whereby PFAS pollution, before it gets banned, is ‘phased out’, first by applying article 191.2 TFEU, the ‘control-at-source’ principle, then by the ‘polluter-pays’ principle that needs to be fully and universally implemented for any PFAS release that cannot be avoided. EurEau advocates for several bans in products like firefighting foams and plant protection products, setting health-derived limit values for PFAS, providing a long-term framework for regulation and promoting innovation, so that a quick and drastic change on PFAS substances in our environment takes place.