Problems with drinking tap water in France (and maybe elsewhere?)

[PlacidoD]

There is a long article in this morning's Guardian about a region in France near Basel/Mulhouse where there is government advice not to drink the tap water which is polluted with cancer causing agents PFAS.The problem is not confined to that area. It is said there are 43 other areas so far identified which exceed heath warning levels:

‘Even if we stop drinking we will be exposed’: a French region has banned tap water. Is it a warning for the rest of Europe?

Forever chemicals have polluted the water supply of 60,000 people, threatening human health, wildlife and the wider ecosystem. But activists say this is just the tip of the Pfas iceberg

www.theguardian.com

I seems improbable to me that the problem is confined to France.

I have always used bottled water for drinking in my van. You may wish to reconsider if you do otherwise.

 

[Coolcats]

There is a long article in this morning's Guardian about a region in France near Basel/Mulhouse where there is government advice not to drink the tap water which is polluted with cancer causing agents PFAS.The problem is not confined to that area. It is said there are 43 other areas so far identified which exceed heath warning levels:

‘Even if we stop drinking we will be exposed’: a French region has banned tap water. Is it a warning for the rest of Europe?

Forever chemicals have polluted the water supply of 60,000 people, threatening human health, wildlife and the wider ecosystem. But activists say this is just the tip of the Pfas iceberg

www.theguardian.com

I seems improbable to me that the problem is confined to France.

I have always used bottled water for drinking in my van. You may wish to reconsider if you do otherwise.

It’s everywhere including bottled water unless super filterd

Forever chemicals: Navigating the PFAS challenge in the UK water industry - Water Magazine

Here, Bill Atkinson, Chief Scientific Advisor, Adler and Allan, takes a look at the new Drinking Water Inspectorate guidance.

www.watermagazine.co.uk

 

[chaser]

It’s everywhere including bottled water unless super filterd

Forever chemicals: Navigating the PFAS challenge in the UK water industry - Water Magazine

Here, Bill Atkinson, Chief Scientific Advisor, Adler and Allan, takes a look at the new Drinking Water Inspectorate guidance.

www.watermagazine.co.uk

As you say it's probably every where but we have always used bottled water simply because of dodgy fill up points and at the price isn't much of a hardship and also gives you more water capacity.

 

[DandJ]

I seems improbable to me that the problem is confined to France.

I have always used bottled water for drinking in my van. You may wish to reconsider if you do otherwise.

The article states it is not just France...2300 sites across Europe.
And as above, bottled water may not be all you think it is either....
(US report...but likely the same around the globe)

https://www.oasishealth.app/blog/bottled_waters_with_and_without_pfas

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-10-18/global-study-finds-pfas-forever-chemicals-common-in-tap-bottled-water

 

[PlacidoD]

The article states it is not just France...2300 sites across Europe.
And as above, bottled water may not be all you think it is either....
(US report...but likely the same around the globe)

https://www.oasishealth.app/blog/bottled_waters_with_and_without_pfas

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-10-18/global-study-finds-pfas-forever-chemicals-common-in-tap-bottled-water

I was not pointing the finger at France but pointing to the fact that the problem is so acute near Basel that authorities have taken action. Maybe other countries/regions are dozing and failing to take action.

My aim is to drink safer water. I likely cannot eliminate the risk entirely.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Howard B]

We tend to use bottled fir drinking , though do sometimes top the bottles up if on site for more than a few days.

 

[steve69]

The way this lack of rainfall is going, you may not have any water to drink at all soon. (We'll have to drink beers instead).

 

[Tonks]

I've been filtering all my drinking water at home for years. And I take my van stocked with water when I go away. Last weekend I didn't top up at all from the water points on site. When travelling and needing to fill up, I'm very careful since the terrible tap hygiene on many sites is enough to put anyone off, and likely to cause more immediate problems. At the weekend I heard a tale from a camper who watched someone wash their raw chicken under a site tap which someone had also used to clean their cassette. I don't know which contamination would be worse!!!

Also, soft plastic such as is used for most bottled water is not safe when heated, and leaches chemicals into the water or other liquid it contains so if you use it in your vans, make sure it's stored somewhere which doesn't get hot, and don't leave part-drunk bottles outside in the heat. It's much safer to decant into a 'chilly' or other stainless steel bottle. I carry a couple of such bottles in the van, and top them up with water from my 10l container. One lives in the fridge, the other is stored elsewhere.

 

[Oldrat]

I’ve always been puzzled why folks (perhaps mainly gen Z IMHO) in the UK buy branded bottled water that has to be imported into the UK, when we have splendid water available here.
Hardly eco friendly.

Volvic and Evian spring to mind - see what I did there

 

[Hezbez]

There is also the issue of how long bottled water sits in trucks or on loading bays in high temperatures before you buy it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Not much you can do about so I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[Guigsy]

Many bottled waters come from municipal water supplies. Fresh from the Peckham Spring.

 

[Cush]

Fresh from the Peckham Spring

Is that Del Boy OFaH reference

 

[Tombola]

Drink beer


Simpler

 

[steve69]

Volvic and Evian spring to mind - see what I did there

It's no secret that "Evian" should be read backwards if you want to describe the buyer.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Not much you can do about so I'm not going to worry about it.

Exactly, there's not many participants on this forum under 60 years old I'd guess so something you'd die with rather than from.
Mike.

 

[PlacidoD]

Drink beer


Simpler

And what do you suppose is the main ingredient in beer production?

Obviously your post is intended to be light-hearted but the subject is serious. There are really only two sensible solutions in my view - either take home water with you for drinking or drink botted water. That should be safer than local tap water of uncertain provenance. To my mind local tap water is likely safe for washing etc but not for drinking.

I have survived one bout of cancer I do not want another and thus will take simple precautionary steps regarding the water I drink.

 

[stewartwebr]

I already posted this in another article about bottled water, in summary a large potable tank was contaminated with diesel leading to HSE involvement. They insisted on testing before allowing it to be put back into service. Tests were conducted weekly for months. I eventually sent a sample of Highland Spring water we were using at considerable cost as the weekly sample. HSE went into meltdown due to deterioration of sample. We put the potable tank back into service a few days later. So don’t think bottled water is much better.

 

[Diabalo]

Over the last 20 years I have drunk the water out of the tank, I do put a couple of sterilising tablets in at the start of the season and one now and then during. I also have a very good filter. When we first started motor-homing we used to carry bottled water but it was a pain in the arse and took up too much beer and wine space in the lockers.

 

[Miggs]

Aye we're all doomed I tell ye.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Mick and Ruth]

Whilst in Portugal a few weeks ago got speaking to Brit who told me he was using the following filter. He just fills the bottle works like a cafetière and in seconds has clean water he pours into a glass jug or kettle and takes it out everywhere with him. Once we get home going to do a little more research but looks OK

710ml GeoPress® Purifier - Nature

The best selling and top-rated GRAYL GeoPress® Filter & Purifier Bottle makes 710ml of clean filtered drinking water in 8 seconds (5L/min) anywhere on earth. Removes global waterborne pathogens (virus, bacteria, protozoan cysts) and filters microplastics, particulates plus many other toxins.

grayl.co.uk

 

[David BW]

Over the last 20 years I have drunk the water out of the tank, I do put a couple of sterilising tablets in at the start of the season and one now and then during. I also have a very good filter. When we first started motor-homing we used to carry bottled water but it was a pain in the arse and took up too much beer and wine space in the lockers.

We do the same…..but without the sterilising tablets. We always avoided bottled water to save plastic use.

 

[Podney]

And what do you suppose is the main ingredient in beer production?

Obviously your post is intended to be light-hearted but the subject is serious. There are really only two sensible solutions in my view - either take home water with you for drinking or drink botted water. That should be safer than local tap water of uncertain provenance. To my mind local tap water is likely safe for washing etc but not for drinking.

I have survived one bout of cancer I do not want another and thus will take simple precautionary steps regarding the water I drink.

100 years ago farm workers were given weak beer to drink. They may not have always ploughed a straight furrow,doing about an acre a day,but it kept them hydrated and was clean enough to avoid many nasties. Agreed, not a very practical solution for our times!

 

[TDub49]

Whilst in Portugal a few weeks ago got speaking to Brit who told me he was using the following filter. He just fills the bottle works like a cafetière and in seconds has clean water he pours into a glass jug or kettle and takes it out everywhere with him. Once we get home going to do a little more research but looks OK

710ml GeoPress® Purifier - Nature

The best selling and top-rated GRAYL GeoPress® Filter & Purifier Bottle makes 710ml of clean filtered drinking water in 8 seconds (5L/min) anywhere on earth. Removes global waterborne pathogens (virus, bacteria, protozoan cysts) and filters microplastics, particulates plus many other toxins.

grayl.co.uk

View attachment 1080284

The big question would be "does it filter out the Pfas?" From the Guardian article it suggests that there is a filtration 'solution' that the municipal water supplier ion the region will be considering but it costs tens of millions of £s and will take time. Apparently an EU wide issue in that 'acceptable' the level of Pfas has been redefined and will mean that most of the water will need to be filtered. Of course, in the UK . . . . . .

 

[Northernraider]

Jesso is this what folk that are retired do all day lol.....its like daytime television.

As these days 1 in 2 people will develop cancer it seems everything in life has the potential to cause cancer , there's very little you can do to avoid it. So I ain't gonna spend my life worrying about it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gaston aires]

Both at home and in our van we go through a filtration system. Both quite expensive to buy the replacement filters but 3 x as much for the van filter (like everything in van life).
Tastes good to me an no ill effects so far.
Phil upmetank

 

[The Wino]

And what do you suppose is the main ingredient in beer production?

Obviously your post is intended to be light-hearted but the subject is serious. There are really only two sensible solutions in my view - either take home water with you for drinking or drink botted water. That should be safer than local tap water of uncertain provenance. To my mind local tap water is likely safe for washing etc but not for drinking.

I have survived one bout of cancer I do not want another and thus will take simple precautionary steps regarding the water I drink.

What makes you think that water in the UK is safer? Is our water better or are we just less scrupulous in testing the quality and publishing the results! Also how good are filters at removing the contaminants in the article I suspect not very!

 

[The Wino]

Looks like we're doomed here as well https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ave been linked,, kidney, and thyroid disease.

 

[PlacidoD]

What makes you think that water in the UK is safer? Is our water better or are we just less scrupulous in testing the quality and publishing the results! Also how good are filters at removing the contaminants in the article I suspect not very!

Looking at the map going with the 2023 article from the Guardian a testing site near me at Rivington which is actually supplying water to Liverpool has 18ng per litre (and my water from the South Lakes tested at 10 ng per litre) whereas Colmar, France tested as 525ng per litre - a 50 fold increase. That is in the region reported as affected in the 2025 Guardian article.

I think it safe to say the water is safer in my neck of the woods than it is in Colmar!

P.S. I have a campsite booked at Colmar for two nights in September. So not only will I go nowhere near tap water there but equally washed salad or fruit or for that matter boiled vegetables!! I suppose locally grown food might also increase my risk but I have to draw the line somewhere.

 

[Guigsy]

Also how good are filters at removing the contaminants in the article I suspect not very!

I was skeptical too. But apparently an activated carbon filter like you'd get on a Brita filter is actually pretty good at removing a lot of PFAS from water.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}