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Around a third of areas in the Netherlands have PFAS “forever chemicals” in their tap water at levels above what health experts consider safe, according to a new analysis, prompting renewed calls from water companies to ban the chemicals in pesticides.
What the analysis found
The environmental group Greenpeace examined data for every postcode in the country and found that in 32 percent of areas, the drinking water contains PFAS at levels at least 1.5 times the recommended safe level. It has published the findings as an online tool, with a map, that lets households check how much PFAS is in the water where they live.
The highest concentrations are in the provinces of Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and Zeeland, with towns such as Zaandam, Purmerend and IJmuiden recording 14.3 nanograms per litre. The northern provinces of Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen, by contrast, show almost no PFAS in their drinking water.
The differences lie in where the water is supplied from. As Patricia van der Linden of Vewin, the association of Dutch drinking water suppliers, explained, the west of the country draws its supply from rivers and reservoirs, which are more polluted than the groundwater used in rural areas. “In places where we use surface water for drinking water, we have to take more steps to purify the water,” she said.
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Safe now, but above the advisory level
None of the water supplies exceeds the legal limit set by the European Union, so the tap water is not unsafe to drink under the law. The figures show that a third of areas exceed the RIVM’s stricter advisory limit of 4.4 nanograms per litre, a precautionary guideline the public health institute lowered in 2023 after new evidence showed PFAS affect the immune system more than previously thought.
PFAS is the collective name for thousands of highly durable synthetic chemicals used in everything from packaging and waterproof clothing to non-stick pans. They are prized by industry precisely because they barely break down, but prolonged exposure is linked to an increased risk of cancer, immune-system problems, reduced fertility and harm to unborn children. A recent RIVM study found that almost everyone in the Netherlands already has unhealthy levels of PFAS in their blood.
Where it is coming from, and the call to act
The environment inspectorate (ILT) recently pointed to a fast-growing source: the pesticide breakdown product TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), whose use in farming, notably potato growing, has almost doubled in two years, with around two tonnes reaching the water supply annually. In light of the new data, water companies have repeated their call to ban PFAS in pesticides.
The Netherlands, together with Germany and the Scandinavian countries, has been lobbying since early 2023 for an EU-wide ban on PFAS. Experts argue that tackling the chemicals one at a time is not enough. “We can see that banning individual types of PFAS makes a difference,” an RIVM spokesman said, “but really the whole group should be banned.” For now, the tap water remains legal to drink, but the pressure to turn off the source of the pollution is growing.