Facing the risks
The PFAS cycle
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds constitute a large family formed by thousands of fluorinated chemical compounds. The OECD counted 4730 compounds in 2018 (OECD, 2018), but this number has rapidly increased with the evolution of the nomenclature and the growing interest in these compounds. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) now lists more than 8,000 PFAS, and the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) more than 10,000.
75% of human exposure is linked to drinking contaminated water
Toxic effects on health
These compounds developed in the 1930s were massively and used in the 1940s for their resistance to water, oil, but also for their high resistance to temperature. They are found in anti-adhesive coatings, food packaging …, and since the 1960s in fire-fighting foams.
Since then, numerous PFASs have been developed to meet a variety of uses, as well as changing regulations. Long-chain perfluorinated compounds gave way to short-chain compounds (PFBA, PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS…) and then to precursors (6:2 FTAB, 6:2 FTOH…).
It wasn’t until the 1990s that concerns began to emerge about the effects of PFASs on human health and the environment: studies revealed that PFASs are persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals, and some promote toxic effects on human health (hepatoxicity, immunotoxicity, suspected endocrine disrupting effects, suspected carcinogenic effects).
Source : PFAS Team – ITRC (itrcweb.org)
In 2000, a major chemical manufacturer voluntarily stopped producing two of the most common PFASs, PFOS and PFOA, due to environmental and health concerns and in the wake of the so-called Dark Waters scandal.
In 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report classifying PFOA as a ‘probable carcinogen’. Since then, regulations have been put in place in Europe and abroad to restrict the use of these compounds and to control soil and water contamination. Finally, it is worth noting the ECHA’s announcement of 7 February 2023 proposing to implement restrictions on the use of more than 10,000 PFASs.
Contamination today
Today, PFAS contamination of water is ubiquitous. These compounds are detected in surface water, urban and rural groundwater, drinking water. Indeed, a total PFAS concentration of 3.22 ng.L-1 has been observed in French precipitation, while these figures can reach 18ng.L-1 in the vicinity of certain industrial sites (Kwok et al., 2010; Scott, Spencer, et al., 2006). This global water contamination is linked to industrial discharges and human activity. These emissions contaminate surface waters at concentrations ranging from 0 to 725 ng/L depending on the site (Munoz et al., 2015a).
Source : Forever Pollution Project
Drinking water contamination is correlated with groundwater contamination, as well as the absence or inefficiency of drinking water treatment plants for PFAS.
The February 2023 parliamentary report (Ministry of Ecology, 2023) presents the latest monitoring data available in France. This report provides information on both groundwater and surface water. 20,000 groundwater analyses have been carried out, highlighting the presence of 6 PFAS in more than 50% of the samples, namely PFOS, PFHxA, PFOA, PFHxS, PFBSet PFHpA. These compounds are present at concentrations that can locally exceed µg/L for PFOS and 10 µg/L for PFOA.
Despite everything, PFAS concentrations generally remain moderate in French groundwater. Furthermore, this contamination seems punctual, concentrated in the water tables of Limagne d’Alsace, and to a lesser extent in the Rhone region, in the North, in the valley of the Seine, the Meuse, and the Moselle, in the Breton region. and around the Mediterranean. The waters of the “Rhône Méditerranée, Corsica” watershed appear to be the most contaminated. We see that when PFAS are quantified (37% of aquifers, 42% in Auvergne Rhône Alpes), these compounds are present at concentrations higher than the limits of the WFD. Furthermore, this contamination seems to mainly affect alluvial aquifers (66%), while only 17% of karst aquifers are affected.
Surface water was studied less exhaustively with only 133 sampling points. However, we note a high frequency of detection for PFOA (84%), PFOS (85%), PFHxS (81%), PFHxA (72%) and 6:2 FTSA (52%), linked to discharges. of contaminated effluents in waters, particularly from wastewater treatment plants. PFAS are observed in 22% of water leaving WWTPs.
Contamination mapping in Europe
The “eternal pollution map” was constructed in February 2023 by the newspaper Le Monde and its seventeen partners in the international collaborative survey “Forever Pollution Project”. This map shows for the first time the extent of contamination of Europe by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) persisting in the environment.
This map brings together data on contaminations detected (actual) in Red, users, producers, and presumed contamination.
Source : Forever Pollution Project
Outside Europe :
- More than 57,000 contamined sites in the United States including more than 710 military installations at home and abroard
- More than 600,000 Americains soldiers were exposed to these substances
- At least 60 suspicious sites in Canada
- More than 100,000 cantaminated sites in Europe
- PFAS contamination in the United States (November 28)
Regulation by zone
Given the ubiquitous of PFASs in the environment, growing concern over the effects and exposure these compounds, regulations have been put in place in Europe, as well as internationally. The regulatory framework initially focused on PFOS and PFOA, then extended to other PFAS. There are generally two types of regulation:
- Restrictions on production, import, and/or use (for example REACh regulations)
- Quality criteria setting limits (recommended by guide values or imposed by regulatory values) for different matrices
In France, ministerial decrees will impose the monitoring of PFAS, but it is European law that applies, such as:
Reach regulation
The REACh regulation is a regulatory framework that registers, evaluates and regulates chemical products with the aim of protecting human health while promoting the competitiveness of the chemical industry. It also promotes alternative methods for assessing the hazards of substances to reduce the number of animal tests. Certain PFAS are listed in Annex XVII of the REACh regulation, this annex identifies substances subject to procedures intended to limit their manufacture, use or placing on the market. The compounds present in this list are therefore prohibited unless specifically authorized.
If PFOS and PFOA are today no longer regulated by the REACH regulation but by the POP regulation and the Stockholm convention, REACh provides for the restriction of use of 10,000 PFAS. European Union countries have also proposed the restriction of other compounds such as PFHxS and PFHxA, a proposal supported by ECHA, which should logically lead to the addition of these compounds to Annex 17 of REACH. Finally, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Denmark and Sweden tabled a proposal in January 2023 to ban more than 10,000 PFAS. When this report was written, ECHA opened a 6-month consultation to discuss with the main stakeholders.
The water framework directive
The Water Framework Directive sets guideline values for the presence of PFAS in drinking water but can also be applied to other aquifers depending on national implementation arrangements. These values will be enforceable from 2026. This directive also sets a method of analysis, knowing that depending on
- So-called Total PFAS value: 500 ng/L for all PFAS and 100 ng/L for ∑ 20 PFAS
- Note that the so-called total PFAS value will only be applicable when the technical guidelines for the analysis of all PFAS have been developed in accordance with Article 13 paragraph 7 of the WFD.
To find out more: Gestion de l’eau en France | Ministère de la Transition Écologique et de la Cohésion des Territoires (ecologie.gouv.fr)