PFAS in drinking water: what it is, sources and health risks

Reading time: approximately 9 minutes

What are PFAS?

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a large group of thousands of man-made chemical substances. They are water, grease, and dirt repellent and have therefore been used since the 1950s in everyday products such as non-stick coatings, rainwear, packaging, and firefighting foam. Their strength is also their problem: the carbon-fluorine bond is so strong that PFAS hardly break down in the environment. This is why they earned the nickname "forever chemicals".

Because they have been used everywhere, PFAS are now widespread in the environment: in the soil, in surface water, and ultimately in drinking water sources. Research by the University of Amsterdam has shown that PFAS are found in virtually all drinking water and drinking water sources throughout the Netherlands.

Is there PFAS in Dutch drinking water?

Yes, in small amounts. Using extremely sensitive measurement methods, drinking water companies detect trace amounts of PFAS in tap water, as PWN and Evides both describe. The exact amount depends on the region and the source. Water produced from surface water contains on average more PFAS than water from deep groundwater sources, according to the RIVM; in some parts of the country, such as at Brabant Water, there is no PFAS at all in the vast majority of the drinking water.

The government's message is both reassuring and cautious: the quantities are small, so you can continue to drink tap water according to the Dutch government, but the RIVM and drinking water companies want to further reduce the levels. You can read about how strictly tap water is monitored in our article on whether Dutch tap water is safe and healthy.

Where does PFAS in the water come from?

PFAS do not come from a single source, but from decades of industrial and daily use. Waternet summarizes it briefly: PFAS are present in everyday products and end up in the water through environmental pollution. The main routes are:

• Industrial emissions: factories that produced or used PFAS discharged them into the environment through air and water.
• Everyday products: non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, cosmetics, and food packaging leave behind small amounts of PFAS.
• Firefighting foam: a lot of PFAS-containing firefighting foam has ended up in the soil and groundwater at training sites and after fires.
• Water cycle: once in surface water, PFAS spread and eventually reach drinking water sources.

Moreover, water is just one route. You also ingest PFAS through food and household products. Which sources those are and how to limit them is explained in our article on limiting PFAS in the rest of your home.

Is PFAS in drinking water harmful?

PFAS accumulate slowly in the body, which is exactly why they are the subject of research. The RIVM links PFAS to various health effects: they can affect the immune system, blood cholesterol levels, the liver, and have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer. It is important to emphasize that this refers to long-term exposure to higher amounts, not to a glass of tap water.

In daily practice, the government's stance remains that the amounts in Dutch drinking water are small and that you can simply drink tap water. The concern is the overall picture: we ingest PFAS through multiple routes, and that is why the goal is to reduce exposure everywhere possible. For your drinking water, filtering is the only route over which you have direct influence.

Standards and regulations

For drinking water, a European standard applies to the sum of a group of PFAS, and in addition, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) uses a stricter health-based guideline value for total long-term exposure. These two do not align: drinking water may meet the legal standard while total exposure from all sources combined still exceeds the EFSA guideline value. This is precisely why the RIVM urges that PFAS levels in drinking water be further reduced in the coming years.

For you as a consumer, this means two things simultaneously. Your tap water is safe according to current standards, and at the same time, there is a societal movement to reduce PFAS everywhere. A filter at home is therefore not an emergency measure, but a way for your own household to go further than the standard.

PFAS in bottled water versus tap water

Switching to bottled water is an understandable reflex, but not a guarantee. The RIVM points out that bottled water can also contain PFAS, and that water made from surface water actually contains more PFAS on average than you might think. Added to this, according to the same source, bottled water is 150 to 500 times more expensive than tap water, while you are lugging bottles around and using plastic.

Filtering tap water is the more logical route: you start with water that is already strictly monitored and you reduce the PFAS specifically at the tap. This way you only pay for the filtering and not for the water itself, which comes out of your own tap at high quality according to Vewin.

How do you remove PFAS from your drinking water?

Removing PFAS is technically difficult. The Drinkwaterplatform puts it soberly: for that, you need very fine membrane filtration or suitable activated carbon, and not every home filter that promises it can actually demonstrate it. The most reliable method for home use is reverse osmosis, which presses the water through a fine membrane and stops up to approximately 99 percent of PFAS, tested against the NSF/ANSI 58 standard.

Which filters do and do not tackle PFAS, and why a membrane goes further than a carbon filter, is explained step-by-step in our article on filtering PFAS from your tap water. There you can also read which solution fits which household.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

PFAS are forever chemicals that are now widespread in the environment and present in small amounts in our drinking water. Dutch tap water is safe to drink according to the Dutch government and the RIVM, and at the same time, the goal is to further reduce PFAS levels. Health concerns relate to total exposure via all sources, not a single glass of tap water.

If you want to go beyond the standard for your own household, your drinking water is the area where you have direct influence yourself. Reverse osmosis is the most reliable technique for this. If you are unsure what suits you, feel free to call or message us. Drink different.