They are almost everywhere.
The controversy over PFAS is growing in France. In January 2025, around forty associations, including French associations, asked the European Commission to ban lobbying by industries and companies that defend their use. This has been significantly restricted since 2009 but PFAS are still frequently measured in the environment, ANSES informs. A study revealed at the end of January by Générations Futures and UFC-Que Choisir analyzed 33 PFAS in the drinking water of 30 French municipalities and “the results are alarming“. TFA, a pesticide residue, was detected in 24 samples out of 30, notably in Paris or in municipalities in the urban areas of Poitiers and Orléans. Certain areas, such as Tours or the surroundings of Rouen, present respectively 10 and 11 PFAS recorded in a single sample.
PFAS or “Per-Fluoroalkyl and Polyfluor-Alkyl Substances”
PFAS for “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances” in French refers to a family of more than 10,000 synthetic chemical substances used in industry and everyday consumer products since the end of the 1950s to make them resistant to water and fire. These are so-called “eternal” pollutants because they are very resistant to degradation in the environment and very mobile. Once emitted, they are there for hundreds or even thousands of years, and accumulate in human tissues, becoming a growing source of global concern. PFAS are present in “everyday products” warns the General Inspectorate of the Environment and Sustainable Development (IGEDD), such as textiles (waterproof clothing, shoes, furnishing fabrics, etc.), utensils kitchenware, non-stick coatings (particularly Teflon pans), iron soleplates, food packaging, pesticides, rubbers, medical implants, detergents, paints, food (emulsifiers, seafood, eggs, meat, etc.) and can contaminate groundwater, watercourses and therefore drinking water.
What are the consequences on the body?
For around fifteen years, the scientific literature has focused on the toxicity of PFAS, particularly on hormonal function. In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) respectively classified PFOA and PFOS, the two most present PFAS as “definite human carcinogen” and “possible carcinogen” respectively. Several studies, including a large American study carried out by researchers from UC San Francisco, the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan, have shown a clear link between exposure to certain PFAS and a previous diagnosis cancer in women (melanoma, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer). Other meta-analyses report risks of hypothyroidism, endometriosis, kidney and testicular cancer in adults. In children, PFAS could contribute to low birth weight, obesity, abnormalities linked to cholesterol levels and early puberty.
The people most exposed are of course the employees of the factories which manufacture or use them, and the professionals who handle them (firefighters, airport employees, etc.). People living near contamination “hot sports” (sites where PFAS concentrations analyzed are greater than 0.1 µg/l) are also most at risk. Exclusive work carried out by the daily Le Monde and 17 other media outlets made it possible to publish a map of the 2,100 polluted hot spots in “levels considered dangerous for health by the experts interviewed” in Europe.
How to avoid them?
It is impossible to eliminate PFAS from our environment because they are everywhere. However, to protect yourself and reduce health risks, the Regional Health Agencies recommend opting for kitchen utensils without non-stick coating (ceramic, cast iron, steel, iron, etc.), and avoiding packaged food products. in supermarkets or in fast-food restaurants, not to use groundwater (private well) to water your vegetable garden and water farm animals, to reduce the consumption of fish (especially fatty ones) and seafood, meat, dairy products and eggs, washing new clothes before wearing them, avoiding upholstery fabrics that have undergone anti-stain treatments or even avoiding cosmetics or household products containing PFAS.
