Traces of eternity chemicals found in European drinking water

PAN Europe – a network of non-governmental organizations – has taken samples from bottled and tap water in eleven European countries. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was found in 32 out of 34 samples from water taps and 12 out of 19 bottled water samples.

The main source of these chemicals is the breakdown of PFAS, a group of fluorine compounds that are often referred to as “perpetual chemicals” because they can take hundreds of years to break down. PFAS are water-, stain- and grease-repellent substances that are used, among other things, in cosmetics, cleaning products, pesticides, impregnation, fire-fighting foam and as a non-slip coating on frying pans.

TFA levels ranged from “not detectable” to 4,100 nanograms per liter (ng/l). The average was 740 ng/l in tap water and 278 ng/l in the mineral and spring water samples.

PAN Europe supports a proposal from the Netherlands Institute for the Environment and Public Health to set a standard of 2200 ng/l. This means that “drinking water accounts for up to 20 per cent of an acceptable daily intake”, says the organisation.

The findings come following PAN Europe and its members published a study in May that showed “alarming” levels of PFAS in rivers, lakes and groundwater in a number of places in Europe.