A survey published Thursday by 17 media, including “Le Monde” in France, reports 17,000 European sites contaminated by these substances, “at levels which require the attention of the public authorities”.
Lake Orestiada in Greece, the Bilina river in the Czech Republic, the Guadalquivir basin in Spain, the chemical valley south of Lyon… Across Europe, 17,000 sites are contaminated by substances per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS), according to a survey of several months conducted by 17 media, including Le Monde (article reserved for subscribers) and the British newspaper The Guardian*, and published Thursday, February 23.
These media, through this Forever Pollution Project* (Eternal Pollution Project), also reveal that there are 2,100 European sites contaminated at dangerous levels by these substances, better known as “Eternal Pollutants”. The project, carried out with expert methodologies, data and “thousands of environmental samples”, offers a first mapping on a European scale of contaminated sites, proven to be suspected.
What are these “eternal pollutants”? Which sites are most affected by this pollution? What is its impact on health? Explanations after these revelations.
1 What are PFAS, the so-called “eternal” pollutants?
Substances per- and polyfluoroalkylated (PFAS) groups together more than 4,000 chemical compounds, recalls theNational Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES). These substances have been very common since the middle of the 20th century, due to their non-stick, waterproofing properties and their resistance to high heat. They are thus found in various industrial sectors, but also in the context of daily life: in textiles, cosmetic products, food packaging or even non-stick coatings, details ANSES.
These substances are commonly called “eternal pollutants”, because due to chemical bonds between carbon and fluorine, these compounds are very difficult to degrade in the environment. The investigation of Forever Pollution Project evoked “extreme persistence in the environment” of these pollutants “indestructible in nature” And “capable of traveling very long distances, far from the area where they were emitted”. Among the PFAS, there are for example perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
2 Who are the producers of these PFAS in Europe?
In 2019, a report by the Nordic Council of Ministers* (PDF), which brings together five countries of northern Europe, thought there was “between 12 and 20 factories” production of these substances in Europe. The investigation of Forever Pollution Project reveals that there are indeed 20 European sites producing PFAS, including six factories in Germany, including three in Gendorf, Bavaria. The journalists also identified five sites in France, in particular the Arkema and Daikin factories, within the chemical valley in Pierre-Bénite (Rhône). Other sites are mentioned: that of Chemours in Villers-Saint-Paul (Oise), and those of Solvay in Tavaux (Jura) and to Salindres (Gard). Across the Channel, the UK has three sites, while Italy has two, according to the survey. Four countries – Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium – each have a PFAS production site.
In parallel, the Forever Pollution Project reports that there is “more than 230 factories identified as users” of “eternal pollutants” in Europe. They are found, for example, in the Paris region, between Liverpool and Manchester in the United Kingdom, in Belgium or even in northern Italy.
3 Which places are most affected by these pollutants?
The 17,000 sites listed by the Forever Pollution Project have contamination levels above 10 nanograms per litre. In 2,100 hot spots (areas with a high concentration of pollutants), this contamination is considered dangerous for health, as it exceeds 100 nanograms per litre.
“THE hot spots the best known in Europe, which cause massive pollution, all have PFAS production plants as their epicenter”, relief The world. The daily evokes the example of Trissino (Italy), where the Miteni company synthesized “eternal” pollutants for fifty years. Contamination, in water and soil, “extends over more than 200 square kilometers and would affect up to 350,000 people in Veneto”.
The survey also cites a “serious pollution” near the Chemours plant in Dordrecht (Netherlands), one of whose products “ifis propagated to the vegetable gardens located more than 1 kilometer away”, underline The world. The newspaper also mentions an area near the 3M factory in Zwijndrecht near Antwerp (Belgium), which is said to be one of the most polluted in the world by PFAS. Local residents (living up to 15 kilometers from the plant) are urged to avoid growing vegetables in their gardens.
others hot spots are located in Sweden, near military airbases, or in the vicinity of airports in Düsseldorf and Nuremberg (Germany), Jersey or Schiphol (Netherlands).
4 How do these PFASs affect the environment?
Air, water, soil… According to ANSES, the use of these “eternal” pollutants and their presence in industrial sectors as well as in our daily lives cause “a contamination of all environments”. Waste, both domestic and industrial, circulates these substances. Some of these compounds “are transported over very long distances by water or air and can be found as far as the Arctic and Antarctic oceans”. “Eternal” pollutants also affect “living organisms and end up in the food chain”.
Among the PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are “the most persistent in the environment”. “For common foods, the highest concentrations of PFOA and PFOS are found in crustaceans and molluscs. Water intended for human consumption can also be a source of contamination. warns ANSES.
5 What is the impact of these pollutants on health?
As pointed out The world, “the effects, even at low doses, of exposure to PFAS stretch like a nightmare medical examination that spares no area of the body”. “The toxicity of these chemical compounds is multiple”, confirms ANSES. Exposure to these pollutants can cause an increase in cholesterol levels, consequences for fertility and fetal development, and even cause cancer. PFAS “salso suspected of interfering with the endocrine (thyroid) and immune system”, adds the agency. As she notes, the European Food Safety Authority* recently looked into the matter. This one “considers that the decrease in the immune system’s response to vaccination constitutes the most critical effect for human health”.
The survey published in France by The world also evokes risks of increased blood pressure as well as cardiovascular risks. As for cancers, these “eternal” pollutants have consequences in particular on the risk of breast, testicular or kidney cancer, notes The world. The European Environment Agency* also mentions, among other health effects, higher risks of miscarriage and an impact on the liver. Finally, the study by the Nordic Council of Ministers notes that these substances cost European health systems between 52 and 84 billion euros each year.
* Links marked with an asterisk are in English.