In Rumilly, Haute-Savoie, the discovery of high concentrations of PFAS, so-called "perennial" pollutants, has prompted elected officials and residents to exercise caution. They express a sense of powerlessness in the face of the contamination affecting water, soil, and air. This contamination is difficult to measure, and its effects are still poorly understood.
After taking readings from water and sewage sludge, these virtually indestructible chemical substances were detected in late April in the air around the site of Tefal, the stove manufacturer which employs 1,600 people. “ Very limited emissions "according to the subsidiary of the Seb group, which the prefecture nevertheless asked to measure to analyze this pollution more precisely and to establish, by the end of the year, a plan to address it.
Consumption bans
At the end of December, government services had already advised against consumingeggs from private chicken coops in Rumilly and seven neighboring towns. Since these analyses on the eggs, we can feel that the issue is gaining momentum in the region.“,” notes Virgile Benoit, co-president of the association Agir Ensemble pour Rumilly et l'Albanais (AERA). The association is now receiving unusual letters: blood test results from residents worried about whether they may have been contaminated by PFAS. We don't have all the answers, because we're not medical analysts.", Mr. Benoît regrets.
State services also advise against consuming fruits and vegetables from gardens within a smaller area, or eating fish caught in two nearby rivers. Nothing very reassuring. There is a kind of moral harm, of anxiety" , says Marie-Claude Bal, also co-president of the association.
Chronology of an awakening
Awareness of the problem dates back to the fall of 2022: the discovery of PFAS in the chemical valley south of Lyon prompted the regional prefecture to conduct further research within its territory. Rumilly, a town of 33,000 inhabitants at the gateway to the Bauges mountain range, appears particularly affected by these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are widely used in industry due to their waterproofing and non-stick properties.
In Rumilly, five " potential main sources The sites identified include: the Tefal site, a Salomon ski manufacturing plant that has been shut down since 2009, a tannery that closed in 2015 and two former public landfills, according to the Regional Health Agency.
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The only remaining site, Tefal, abandoned PFOA, a known carcinogen, as early as 2012, eight years before its ban. Today, the factory uses another PFAS, the PTFE or Teflonand states on its website that it is " safe for human health" . His " Its stability and safety have been confirmed.", according to the Ministry of Health, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) believes that the data is insufficient to make a definitive statement.
In 2025, a law restricted the use of PFAS in many everyday products (cosmetics, clothing textiles, etc.). Seb obtained a exemption for kitchen utensils after having raised the argument of risks to employment.
“ We don't feel legitimate.“
These economic challenges, and the uncertainties surrounding the harmfulness of persistent pollutants, complicate the task of local elected officials. PFAS It just happened to us"That sums it up," says Yannick Levy, Deputy Mayor for the Environment in Rumilly. We provide support, but we don't feel legitimate in terms of science.. Furthermore, it seems thatThere is still a lot of basic research to be done." he explains.
Measures, limits and a referral
The first emergency measure taken in 2022 by the Terre de Savoie – Rumilly inter-municipal authority was to cut off the power supply to two boreholes following the detection of PFAS in water intakes intended for drinking water supply. A new water treatment unit, with carbon filters, " very effective "According to the local authority, it was then put into service." We have the studies, the filtration, a little bit of information on the solutions to be implemented" Yannick Levy cautiously observes.
But the measures come at a cost. The town hall, for example, had to carry out studies at the request of the prefecture, for more than 130,000 euros, to be released " during years of budget cuts“. This is why the inter-municipal council and the City of Rumilly have just filed a lawsuit to obtain an independent judicial expert assessment. According to the plaintiffs, this assessment must... clarify responsibilities "of the different issuers and estimate" pollution cleanup costs" , in order to " to base claims for compensation“.
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