A molecule of the endocrine disruptor pesticide Flufenacet, used mainly for treating cereal crops, massively contaminates water resources in France.
On September 27, the European Food Safety Authority made a decision that could make the authorities’ brains twist in knots: it decided to recognize flufenacet as an endocrine disruptor. When it degrades in nature, flufenacet releases a molecule: trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), an “eternal pollutant” that is unregulated and therefore not monitored by health authorities, which contaminates water resources in France and Europe, reveals Le Monde .
As a result of this recognition of flufenacet as an endocrine disruptor, a majority of French people could soon find themselves with drinking water that “does not comply” with quality criteria. Because when an active substance is an endocrine disruptor, its metabolites, the molecules it releases into nature, are subject to a threshold not to be exceeded: 0.1 microgram per liter.
According to ANSES, since 2017, the degradation of flufenacet has led to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) concentrations of up to 10 µg/L, or up to 100 times higher than this limit. A situation that could quickly turn into a headache since local authorities can distribute non-compliant water for a maximum of six years, recalls the evening daily.
Who uses it?
The cause and source of this water pollution is flufenacet, one of the best-selling herbicides in France with more than 900 tonnes per year, and whose sales more than doubled between 2019 and 2022. It is mainly used for the treatment of cereal crops.
TFA found in water is mainly from the degradation of pesticides such as flufenacet, which all belong to the PFAS family, and fluorinated gases used in cooling systems. Industrial discharges from TFA manufacturers and sewage treatment plants are also other sources of contamination.
Where is water most affected?
Surveys carried out show a TFA concentration which goes well beyond the authorised thresholds in three out of four water samples tested in France by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe network, and in 86% of analyses carried out in the EU.
In Paris, the tap water tested has a rate 20 times higher than the quality threshold, again according to these analyses. Bottled water would not be spared with 12 of the 19 samples having traces of TFA, at average levels however lower than that of tap water.
A ban coming soon?
At European level, the authorisation of flufenacet expired on 31 December 2013 but it has been subject to nine extension procedures, the last of which expires in June 2025 pending the finalisation of its assessment.
Contacted by Le Monde, the Ministry of Ecological Transition is counting on a non-reapproval of flufenacet by the EU in June 2025, a process which could result in a ban at best in the summer of 2025.
What are the health risks?
In the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment fears possible effects on the immune system, but also reports documented effects on the liver. The institute considers TFA to be potentially as toxic as other PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
Faced with these fears, the European Commission has mandated the World Health Organization to analyze the potential impact of TFA on health, and if necessary, to propose new threshold values,” Stefan De Keersmaecker, spokesperson for health issues at the European Commission, explained to Le Monde.
More generally, exposure to PFAS, including flufenacet, is associated with certain cancers, endocrine and reproductive system disorders, and a reduced immune response to vaccines. But since no epidemiological study has been dedicated to the toxicity of TFA, the situation remains unclear.
What measures are being taken?
In Europe, only the Netherlands has set an indicative health value for TFA in drinking water, at 2.2 µg/l. A value that would only be exceeded in 3% of cases in Europe.
In Germany, the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Health Safety has written to two manufacturers (Corteva and Adama) with marketing authorisations for flufenacet-based pesticides, to warn them of its intention to withdraw them.
German authorities have also proposed to the European Chemicals Agency that TFA be classified as toxic for reproduction.
What solutions are there for treating water?
The treatment systems currently used in treatment plants are unable to eliminate TFA from the treated water. Only the technique known as “reverse osmosis” would be effective. But this technology is very water-intensive, very energy-intensive and very expensive: in Île-de-France, the water union plans to invest more than a billion euros to equip its three plants by 2030.
At European level, the Commission has launched a feasibility study on the treatment of TFA in drinking water.
