For the first time, mineral water from several European countries has been found to be contaminated with TFA, a type of “forever chemical” called PFAS, a reproductive toxicant that is accumulating in alarming quantities around the world, The Guardian reports.
The discovery is startling because mineral water is supposed to be clean and free of man-made chemicals. The contamination is thought to be linked to the heavy use of pesticides containing TFA, or compounds that are converted into them in the environment, used around the world.
The European Pesticide Action Network found TFA in 10 of 19 mineral waters, with levels 32 times higher than the threshold that would trigger regulatory action in the European Union. The authors of the paper wrote that the findings highlight the need for urgent action as local authorities propose new restrictions on some products containing TFA pesticides.
The new paper is based on a study that found TFA in 93% of more than 600 water samples in Belgium, with particularly high levels in agricultural regions. Meanwhile, Swiss authorities have found it to be widespread in the country’s groundwater. In the US, all rainwater samples tested in Michigan contained the chemical.