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How to filter PFAS from drinking water?
What are PFAS?
PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances) are a large family of man-made chemicals, known for their use in many common industrial and consumer products.
PFAS have extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds, making them resistant to heat, water and oil. This property makes them useful in many applications, but also difficult to degrade in the environment.
They can be found in products such as non-stick coatings (e.g. on frying pans and kitchen utensils), textiles, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, some food packaging, fire-extinguishing foams and some cosmetics.
Environmental and health concerns
PFAS are persistent, which means they do not break down easily in the environment. They can accumulate in the human body and have been associated with a variety of health problems, such as immune system effects, cancer risks, and reproductive and developmental problems.
Presence in drinking water
PFAS can leach into drinking water sources, mainly from industrial run-off, landfills, and fire-fighting foams used at airports and military exercises. Their presence in drinking water has become a major public health concern.
2 sources to quickly understand the extent of the damage:
1 - The Le Monde article below presents a map, the result of a collaborative survey, showing for the first time the extent of Europe's contamination by PFAS, persistent toxic pollutants. The map reveals 20 PFAS-producing factories, over 17,000 detected contaminated sites, 232 industrial users of PFAS, and around 21,500 presumed contaminated sites, including military bases and industries. More than 2,100 "hot spots" with concentrations hazardous to health were identified. These data underline the importance of managing PFAS pollution in Europe.
2- Most of our exposure to PFAS, particularly PFOA and PFOS, comes from water and food. French regulations, following the European Directive, set thresholds for PFAS in drinking water to be applied from 2026 (500 ng/L for all PFAS and 100 ng/L for 20 specific PFAS). However, these thresholds are deemed insufficient, as they are not based on the latest scientific knowledge. Other countries, such as Denmark and the USA, have set much stricter standards (Denmark has chosen to apply a standard of 2 ng/L for the sum of 4 PFAS). In France, the Anses has set a maximum value of 75 ng/L for PFOA, lower than the European standard (in the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) has proposed a standard for PFOA of 4 ng/L).
https://www.generations-futures.fr/actualites/pfas-cancerogenes/
What impact do PFAS have on health?
PFAS, due to their persistent and bio-accumulative nature, can have a number of impacts on human health. Here are some of the potential effects associated with PFAS exposure:
- Cancer risks: Some forms of PFAS, such as perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), have been associated with an increased risk of certain types of cancer, notably testicular and kidney cancer.
- Effects on the immune system: Studies have suggested that exposure to PFAS can weaken the immune system, reducing the effectiveness of vaccines and increasing susceptibility to certain infections.
- Other effects: Reproductive problems, developmental difficulties in children, increased cholesterol levels, thyroid problems or other hormonal imbalances, adverse effects on the liver, weight problems.
As a source, you can read the article dated 01/12/2023: "PFAS: WHO raises the level of carcinogenicity of two substances".
The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently confirmed the potential danger to humans of two substances in the PFAS family: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). In an opinion published on November 30 in The Lancet Oncology, PFOA was classified as "carcinogenic to humans" and PFOS as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".
https://www.actu-environnement.com/ae/news/pfas-oms-niveau-cancerogenicite-substances-43053.php4
The following article, also quoted below, is instructive:
What are the latest PFAS issues?
The November 15, 2023 article in Le Monde below addresses the scandal of PFAS contamination of water in Belgium. Céline Tellier, Walloon Minister for the Environment, was asked about the exposure of around 20,000 Walloon residents to water contaminated by these toxic, persistent chemicals. Despite early warnings, including by the US military in 2018, residents have been left in the dark. The Minister has been criticized for a lack of vigilance and reaction to this threat.
On October 18, 2023, an internal, confidential email from the Director General of ARS Occitanie was published, revealing a high presence of PFAS in the region's drinking water and strongly advising people not to consume tap water, but to use it only for everything else, and to favor bottled water.
The article in Le Progrès below, dated December 15, 2023, reports that the Lyon Metropolitan Prefecture is maintaining its recommendation not to consume eggs from local poultry farms due to PFAS pollution, mainly from the Arkema plant in Pierre-Bénite. Analyses have revealed higher-than-normal levels of PFAS in local soil, fruit, vegetables, rainwater and well water. A health risk assessment is currently underway, with results expected in the second half of 2024.
The article below describes the measures taken in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, in response to PFAS contamination in the Iles water table. Anticipatory monitoring revealed above-standard contamination in three wells. One well was shut down in 2022, and measures were taken to ensure the quality of the water distributed. Studies are underway to understand the aquifer and identify sources of pollution, with a particular focus on three local industrial sites.
Some quotes from the article below:
"Massive PFAS pollution: these toxic, eternal substances are present everywhere".
"PFAS, the poison of the century, is widespread everywhere, and Alsace is no exception.
What are the actions?
Monitoring the presence of PFAS in tap water is currently outside the scope of analyses carried out by the Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), as these compounds are not yet regulated.
However, by 2026, regulations will have changed to include PFAS, following the revision of European drinking water quality directive 2020/2184.
This directive, transposed into French law in December 2022, targets 20 PFAS with a quality limit set at 0.10 µg/L.
PFAS will be included in drinking water health analyses from 2026, or from January 1ᵉʳ 2023 for sites where their presence has already been detected.
https://www.anses.fr/fr/content/pfas-des-substances-chimiques-dans-le-collimateur
On this subject, the article by générations futures cited in the introduction is also interesting. As a reminder, it states that Denmark has chosen to apply a standard of 2 ng/L or 0.002 µg/L for the sum of 4 PFAS, and that in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a standard for PFOA, classified as a carcinogen, of 4 ng/L or 0.004 µg/L.
Does the ÖKO EUROPE bottle filter retain PFAS?
A study carried out by the Eurofins Euraceta laboratory at our request in December 2023 led to the results shown in the graph below.
You can find the official study document on our page listing all the laboratory tests:
https://okoeurope.com/pages/technologie-laboratoire-et-analyses
The study revealed that no traces of PFAS were visible after filtration through our ÖKO EUROPE filter flask.
Don't leave it to chance, equip yourself to protect the health of you and your family.
In any case, that's what we recommend.
Best regards,
The ÖKO EUROPE team