2d ago

‘Even if we stop drinking we will be exposed’: A French region has banned tap water. Is it a warning for the rest of Europe?

www.theguardian.com ‘Even if we stop drinking we will be exposed’: Parts of France have banned tap water. Is it a warning for the rest of Europe?

Forever chemicals have polluted the water supply of 60,000 people, threatening human health, wildlife and the wider ecosystem. But activists say this is just the tip of the Pfas iceberg

Archived (archive.org)

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Good lord, what are these comments? This is like a reddit meme page with no real information and if anything a bunch of misinformation.
Article TlDr;
Cause: The source was a firefighting foam used at the airport since the 1960s, ending only in 2017... Toxic residues from the foam lingered, filtering through the soil into drinking water and people’s bodies – probably over decades.
Effect: The person with the highest had 22 micrograms per litre (mcg/l) of blood. The average was 14.9mcg/l, which would make people in Saint-Louis among the most contaminated 5 to 10% in France... Long-term adverse health effects are possible for people with levels above 6.9mcg/l of blood
Solution: To remedy the problem, the local authority plans to install new water treatment plants at a cost of €20m, and a further €600,000 a year to run. From 2026, water bills will probably rise to help pay for it.
They're trying to sue the airport that released all these chemicals, which are also extremely toxic to the firefighters (Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review). Unfortunately it seems they're protected from the fact those chemicals were "certified" at the time of use so weren't doing anything under the radar.
Reverse Osmosis treatment for water
If your goal is PFAS removal, be sure to choose a reverse osmosis solution with the right type of additional filtration stage. Look for certification to the NSF/ANSI 53 standard for PFOA and PFOS from an accredited third-party organization (like the Water Quality Association) for specific contaminant reduction. (link)
Study: PFAS Exposure Through Skin Causes Harm Similar to Ingestion
While skin exposure to PFOA is of concern, studies evaluating the immunotoxicity of dermal exposure are lacking. These studies evaluated the immunotoxicity of PFOA (0.5–2% w/v, or 12.5–50 mg/kg/dose) following dermal exposure using a murine model.... The IgM antibody response to sheep red blood cell. was significantly reduced in the spleen following 4-days of dermal exposure (2%). PFOA exposure produced a significant decrease in thymus (1 and 2%) and spleen (0.5–2%) weight along with an increase in liver weight (0.5–2%). Immune cell phenotyping identified a reduction in the frequency (1 and 2%) and number (0.5–2%) of splenic B-cells. (study link)
Stay safe out there everyone. I hope with the new regulations for the EU coming into play that the world's governments will start responding and if we have some decent politicians in place we might get some actionable movement that will hold companies responsible.
- But how can you hold a company accountable if they use something which at that time was legal and the company followed the law as well.
  It is sad to say, but the companies probably go scot free.
- Adding in that there's a huge push for this in the US right now too

Great veritasium episode about PFAS: https://open.spotify.com/episode/204aHC3qWedCvq6cf4Xz3A

The good newsis that you can clean water of PFAS either at the water plant, or in a restauration project by pumping up the groundwater, filtering it and letting it re infiltrate.
The bad news is that it is very expensive, especially when treating an aquifer. However the sooner whatever is already in the ground and water is contained, the more damage can be prevented down the line.
Local authorities estimate nearly 3,000 people in the Haut-Rhin region fall into “vulnerable” categories. Each will receive a single €80 payment to help cover the cost of bottled water. But for people such as Wiedemann, the threat goes far beyond compensation.
What the fuck France? 80€ for having to rely on bottled water for the foreseeable future is a complete joke of a compensation, especially only going to vulnerable households.
- If they sell those huge 8L cans in France, it isn't that bad. They sell those for €0,75 each, so with €80 that is 853 litres of clean and drinkable water per person. That will last them for a year and if it isn't then fixed they will hopefully get more.
  Do they need to stock them up for 3–4 years? That's a different story, but generally people will not spread their money for multiple years for something like this. Don't forget that it is taxpayers money/
  
  853 liters over 365 days is 2.33 liters per day.
  That barely covers the pure drinking water. Now you need to cook, clean your dishes, brush your teeth...
  In disaster struck areas the bare minimum needed for temporary survival is considered to be around 10-15 liters per person per day. This amount is nowhere near enough. And as the PFAS aren't bacteria that can be killed with boiling, you cannot use that water for anything that comes into contact with the inside of people mouths.
- A reverse osmosis filter will run you $150 for parts - plus install and yearly filter changes. Start with that for costs. I would assume eu costs are similar but that is sometimes very wrong.
  
  And what to do with the waste water from the reverse osmosis (now more contaminated than the input)? And who pays for the water wasted?

Nestlé is going to be really happy about this.
Also "privatise wins, socialise losses" in full effect.
- Does Nestlé sells bottled water? I only ever see local/regional bottled water.
  
  Here is a list with a number of Nestlè brands. While it's in german I believe it will suffice.
  
  Look into it; Nestle owns a lot of bottled water brands that they very purposefully don't put their name on.

I guess that that's good news for Coca-Cola and other vendors of bottled water.
- They must be lining up to grab some extra profits there.

This is how you start a war with Scotland

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