Tap water was declared unfit for consumption for sensitive people in the village of Tendon (Vosges) on Monday, due to an abnormally high level of PFAS, eternal pollutants, the prefecture indicated, which had already taken a similar order six days ago concerning another village in the department.
In Tendon, "the total concentration of the 20 main PFAS averages 0.14 micrograms per liter", while the maximum permitted standard is 0.1, the Vosges prefecture stated in a press release.
The ban applies to vulnerable people, that is to say "elderly and very frail", children under two years of age, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and immunocompromised people.
On October 14, state authorities issued a similar order for the village of Arrentès-de-Corcieux, located about twenty kilometers away, where water analyses were even more alarming, with 0.73 micrograms of PFAS per liter of water. The ban on drinking tap water there is general, and not just for sensitive individuals.
In both localities, the prefecture has banned the consumption of water as well as its use for preparing baby bottles and plans to distribute bottles to the population.
Seventeen municipalities are affected by the same problem in the Ardennes and the Meuse.
In the latter department, the prefecture indicated to AFP on Monday that it had sent a report to the justice system concerning the irregular spreading of sewage sludge and compost, which could be the cause of the pollution.
Prefect Xavier Delarue reported these facts to the Verdun prosecutor's office on the basis of Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure – which obliges a "constituted authority" to inform the justice system of a crime or offence brought to its attention.
During a public meeting last week in Louppy-sur-Loison, one of the four Meuse villages deprived of drinking water due to PFAS, the prefect specified that he was targeting the company Natura Verde, which operates a "composting platform" in the neighboring village of Juvigny-sur-Loison.
According to an investigation conducted by several state services, the company "did not comply with the rules on composting and spreading", claims the regional daily newspaper l'Est Républicain.
Used in many objects for their non-stick, waterproofing or heat resistance properties, PFAS, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as "eternal pollutants", can have detrimental effects on health (cholesterol levels, cancers, effects on fertility and fetal development).
In the Vosges, "several sampling campaigns" have already covered "nearly 99% of the water network to date", according to state services.
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