There are thousands of different PFAS chemicals created by humans. These substances do not exist naturally. Despite this, they have been found everywhere, since they do not break down in nature.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has investigated tap water in over 30 municipalities and 19 watercourses. PFAS was found in all watercourses, as well as in almost all drinking water samples.
These are hazardous substances we're talking about. They're in our drinking water, they're in our lakes, they're in our streams – they're even in rainwater. We need to do something about the situation, says Secretary-General Karin Lexén.
Too high levels
In three municipalities – Gävle, Halmstad, and Västerås – levels are higher than the limit value. These municipalities will be forced to fix the problem before 2026, which could cost millions. Västerås stands out, where the level was more than five times higher than the limit value.
It's not alarming for human health. But it's clear that something needs to be done, says Mattias Öberg, docent in toxicology at the Karolinska Institute.
In recent years, the research world has begun to take an interest in a particularly difficult PFAS to get rid of. It's called trifluoroacetic acid, TFA, and levels are increasing rapidly in nature.
There are around 15,000 different PFAS molecules. Most of them only break down partially, and what usually remains are these short TFA molecules, says Öberg.
The EU has set a limit value of 500 nanograms per liter of drinking water for all PFAS. However, measuring all PFAS is difficult, and the National Food Agency has chosen an alternative limit value, 100 nanograms per liter for 21 selected PFAS, where TFA is not included.
Not taken up
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has found higher amounts of TFA than EU limits in Färjestaden, Malmö, Karlskrona, and Visby. Even Uppsala, which has managed to remove other PFAS through coal filters, still has too high levels of TFA.
Stockholm is alarmingly close to the limit, and is expected to exceed it within a decade if PFAS emissions continue.
I see it as a clear signal that we need to stop the emissions, so that we dare to drink our water in the future, says Hanna Holmquist, toxicologist at Chemsec.
TFA is not taken up by the blood in the same way as the longer PFAS molecules, but instead disappears from the body again, according to Öberg. Researchers are unsure how toxic TFA is, but Germany has requested that TFA be classified as harmful to reproduction.
The scary thing is that we know very little about it and that it seems to be everywhere – and in much higher amounts than other PFAS substances, says Öberg.
Gustav Sjöholm/TT
Facts: PFAS
TT
PFAS are chemicals created by humans that break down extremely slowly and therefore accumulate in nature and in our bodies. Some are toxic and can increase the risk of various negative health effects.
PFAS have been manufactured since the 1950s and are, among other things, dirt- and fat-repellent. They can be found in everything from makeup, impregnation, popcorn bags, firefighting foam, and solar cells.
PFAS do not exist naturally in nature, but are now found everywhere. Millions of Europeans may be exposed to too high levels in their drinking water.
Source: The Swedish Chemicals Agency
The so-called PFAS 4 consist of the four hazardous substances PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, and PFHxS, which are estimated to account for 45 percent of the PFAS we ingest. The National Food Agency's limit value for PFAS 4 in drinking water is 4 ng/l.
The National Food Agency also has a limit value for a larger group of PFAS substances, PFAS 21, of 100 ng/l.
The EU allows member states to choose how to follow the drinking water directive. Either they measure 20 PFAS substances (as Sweden has chosen, but added one extra), total amount, or both. In the total measurement, with a limit value of 500 ng/l, the ultra-short PFAS substance TFA can be included.
TFA is a substance that has previously flown under the radar. Many other PFAS break down into TFA, and come from, among other things, refrigerants and pesticides. TFA is not included in the National Food Agency's limit values pending further investigations.
Sources: National Food Agency, EU
