Water polluted by PFAS: "Because of the scale of the problem, it will take us several decades to solve it"
Interview : At the beginning of July, tap water consumption was banned in sixteen municipalities in the Meuse and Ardennes regions after the discovery of abnormal levels of perennial pollutants. How can this water be decontaminated? Géraldine Gouhier, a chemist specializing in PFAS and a professor at the University of Rouen-Normandy, explains.
Interview by Manon Bernard
Samples taken in the spring of 2025 revealed PFAS levels well above the legal limit of 100 nanograms per liter in the water distributed in sixteen municipalities in the Ardennes and Meuse, including 27 times the only authorized limit in one of these localities. ROMAIN DOUCELIN/SIPA
Can we still drink tap water? Since the beginning of July, residents of twelve municipalities in the Ardennes and four villages in the Meuse have been banned from doing so. The cause: record levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination. Up to 27 times the legal limit in Villy. These molecules, used by manufacturers in the manufacture of numerous products, cause serious health risks, starting with a decrease in fertility and even cancer.
The approximately 3,500 residents of these rural communities in the Grand Est region have had to turn to bottled water to avoid the risk of contamination. So, how can this water be decontaminated and made drinkable again? Géraldine Gouhier, a chemist specializing in PFAS and a professor at the University of Rouen-Normandy, provides some initial answers to "Nouvel Obs."
Where do these PFAS found in the…
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