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In September, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) tightened the limit values for PFAS. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has collected data from waterworks at 42 sites in Sweden to analyze the presence of the substance. The survey shows that 16 of the water plants had PFAS levels in drinking water that exceeded the new limit value, including the water plants in Greater Stockholm and Västra Skåne. According to calculations by the Swedish Society for Conservation of Nature, just over two million Swedes are at risk of ingesting too many substances when drinking water.
– The result is surprising. It is unacceptable that it is still allowed to release environmental toxins that pollute our drinking water and can harm human health, says Karin Lexén, secretary general of the Swedish Society for Conservation of Nature, in a press release.
Available in clothing and textiles
PFAS is a group of industrially produced chemicals found in many common products, including clothing and textiles. However, the most common source for humans to ingest them is through water, food, and air. Currently there is a lack of knowledge about how human health is affected by the levels to which we are exposed, but it is suspected that some of the substances are carcinogenic and cause liver damage. The EU limit value is an assessment of the total amount of PFAS that is safe for humans to ingest.
– Our survey only shows the tip of an iceberg. Most of the PFAS we receive comes from the food and air we breathe, only a small part comes from water. If we exceed the limit value just by drinking the water, it gives an indication that we probably have significantly higher amounts of PFAS in our bodies, says Karin Lexén, in the press release.
The National Food Administration has not yet implemented the new EU limit values in the Swedish action limits for drinking water. According to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, action will need to be taken at at least 25 out of 42 surveyed sites in Sweden.
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