Fight against pollutants: Eau de Paris calls for strengthening prevention

Eau de Paris is closely monitoring the issue of PFAS, which are found throughout France. While the presence of traces of TFA, which belongs to the PFAS group, in the water distributed in Paris is identified, PFAS are found not only in water resources but more generally and in much higher proportions, in food, consumer products and the environment. 

TFA is not one of the 20 PFAS included in the regulatory health control programs for drinking water from January 1, 2026. There is therefore no regulatory monitoring of this substance, nor any health standard issued by the authorities. The conclusions of the scientific studies undertaken at the European level are awaited. In some European countries, "guide values" - non-binding reference thresholds - have been defined for this substance. This is not the case in France. 

Banning PFAS a priority  

Given their very wide distribution, well beyond water resources, focusing only on water pollution will not solve the problem effectively. According to studies by ANSES, water only represents 5% of pesticide exposure, the rest of the exposure depends on diet or air quality. 

For Dan Lert, President of Eau de Paris: "The urgent need to reduce overall exposure to pollutants is to ban these PFAS outright. We must immediately reaffirm the priority given to preventing these pollutions at source. They contaminate not only water resources, but more generally and probably in much greater proportions, food and the environment."

The most effective solution to treat the problem at the source: prevention

Eau de Paris has long defended the idea that the urgent need to reduce overall exposure to pollution is to act at the source. The public company has launched a pioneering aid scheme to support farmers who operate near water catchment areas. Farmers who engage in agricultural practices that contribute to better water quality benefit from an annual income supplement that remunerates the service provided.

115 farms on 17 ha participate in this system, including 305% in organic farming, which corresponds to a financial commitment on these contracts of 58 million euros, supported by the Seine-Normandy Water Agency. Eau de Paris is the most advanced operator in France on farmer support programs.

TFA can come from both agricultural inputs and industrial production. It is therefore important to also act on the elimination of these substances in industry and the search for substitute solutions.