UvA researcher finds PFAS in all Dutch drinking water sources
PFAS plastics are incredibly useful and are used for many consumer products. The downside is that these substances virtually do not degrade and can be toxic to humans and the environment. UvA researcher Mohammad Sadia found PFAS in all Dutch drinking water and hopes for stricter laws and regulations around PFAS use.
“We found PFAS in all the drinking water sources we studied, and some amounts exceed European guidelines,” said Mohammad Sadia, a PhD student at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals that most people come into contact with on a daily basis. The best-known example is PTFE, marketed as Teflon.
The properties of PFAS make the substances useful and widely applicable. For example, they are water and grease-repellent. PFAS are used for things like non-stick coatings, clothing, cosmetics, and in industry. The major disadvantage of PFAS is that the substances degrade poorly or not at all when they enter the environment or our bodies. This has earned them the nickname “forever chemicals.”
Too little research
Research into the effects and (health) risks of PFAS use has not been going on for very long, Sadia explains. “Actually, research has only been done by universities since the beginning of this century. Before that, it was only the producers who were investigating how to make it better or cheaper. The few studies done on toxicity were not published. During several scandals at the beginning of this century, it became known that PFAS are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. For example, they can affect fertility and the immune system.” The toxicity and persistence of these substances in our environment prompted Sadia’s research on Dutch drinking water.
Sadia examined 56 different PFAS to see if and how much they occur in Dutch drinking water and drinking water sources. “Depending on whom you ask, there are between 4,000 and 6,000,000 different PFAS. Compared to those numbers, 56 is not that many, but these are just the substances that have been studied more.”
Many unknown factors come into play when researching drinking water. For example, Sadia found that water from a water treatment plant contained more PFAS than before. “One possible explanation is that there are more PFAS in the water before purification that I don’t measure. Those might be broken up into smaller pieces which I then measure during purification.”
It is fairly clear where all PFAS come from in the Netherlands. Some are released through the use of consumer products, such as washing a pan with a PFAS anti-stick coating or washing a PFAS raincoat. Around Dordrecht, PFAS pollution of the environment is extra high due to a factory there that uses the PFAS group GenX as material. Research by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) already showed that GenX substances originate from the air and wastewater.
Although two PFAS (PFOS and PFOA) have been banned, little is known about the health risks of the thousands of other PFAS. In addition, the effects differ for each substance. According to RIVM, several PFAS “can affect the immune system, reproduction, and unborn children” and increase the risk of several types of cancer.
PFAS in our drinking water
Most of the drinking water in the Netherlands comes from groundwater, but some also comes from surface water, about 60 and 40 percent respectively. “We found PFAS in all 18 drinking water sources that we measured in the Netherlands.”
The drinking water in many places in the Netherlands does not meet the guidelines of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) used by the RIVM. “At 11 of the 18 sites that we measured, the amount of PFAS in the drinking water is above the EFSA’s safety threshold. But the amount of PFAS at all sites falls within the looser limits of European legislation, which was recently tightened.”
The downside of the directives and legislation, according to Sadia, is that they only cover a small amount of PFAS substances. “The EFSA opinions, for example, only cover four different PFASs. The guidelines of the EU drinking water directive, which the Dutch water does comply with, contain about 20 PFAS. That is better, but when you know that there are more than 4,000 substances, it falls short.”
Sadia is loud and clear about the next steps to reduce the amount of PFAS in our water sources: “We must immediately stop producing and releasing PFAS into nature.” To ensure cleaner drinking water, much would also have to be done in the technical field, according to Sadia. “There are other promising methods that seem to remove more PFAS from drinking water sources than current methods. One problem, though, is that most methods cost more energy and money. The companies responsible for drinking water treatment face a challenge to provide drinking water that meets safety standards.”
European ban
The first steps toward a PFAS ban in Europe have already been taken, to Sadia’s delight. Earlier this year, on January 7th, the Netherlands, along with Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, filed a lawsuit banning PFAS. The proposal published by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) is expected to ban more than 10,000 substances. If approved by the European Commission, the proposal would mean a total ban on PFAS starting in 2025. This would include the production and import of PFAS products from outside the EU.
Do you want to know all about PFAS? Sadia has teamed up with fellow researchers at other European universities to create a podcast series about them. In each episode, a different researcher tackles the topic from the perspective of their own field. The podcast is on Spotify.
