Analysis of micropollutants in water at the hydrology laboratory of Nancy, eastern France, December 17, 2024. ALEXANDRE MARCHI/L’EST RÉPUBLICAIN/MAXPPP
A new warning has been raised over the quality of France’s drinking water. After nongovernmental organizations sounded the alarm, France’s food, environmental and occupational health agency (ANSES) has revealed near-blanket contamination of the country’s tap water by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) – the most widespread of the so-called “forever chemicals” – in a report published Wednesday, December 3. This PFAS compound, the smallest in the family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, was found in more than 92% of tap water samples collected in ANSES’s largest nationwide testing campaign to date.
Between 2023 and 2025, more than 600 tap water samples – and an equal number of raw water samples (water before treatment) – were analyzed. The samples came from pumping stations spread across the country, representing about 20% of all drinking water distributed in France. The ANSES campaign did not include bottled water: Tests carried out in 2024 by the Pesticide Action Network Europe found that bottled mineral water was also contaminated with TFA.
As it accumulates in the environment, TFA poses a growing public health threat. It is now on track to be classified as toxic for reproduction within the European Union (EU) and also shows signs of liver toxicity.
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