New EU-wide regulations on protection against PFAS in drinking water
Under the new regulations, Member States must monitor levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water in a harmonised manner in order to ensure compliance with the new EU limit values. These are set out in the recast Drinking Water Directive. Member States will also be required to report monitoring results to the European Commission. This includes data on exceedances of limit values, incidents, and any exemptions granted.
New PFAS reporting system
The new reporting system is simpler than under the previous Drinking Water Directive and reduces the amount of data subject to reporting. This is the first time systematic monitoring of PFAS in drinking water has been implemented in the EU.
In the event that permissible values are exceeded, Member States must take action to reduce PFAS levels and protect public health, while also informing the public. Such measures may include closing contaminated wells, adding treatment steps to remove PFAS, or restricting the use of drinking water resources until acceptable levels are restored.
Pursuant to Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, which entered into force on 12 January 2021, parameters and parametric values for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were introduced. These values are 0.50 μg/l (500 ng/l) for total PFAS and 0.10 μg/l (100 ng/l) for the Sum of PFAS parameter, which takes into account a list of 20 compounds.
European Commission actions to protect drinking water
PFAS reporting directly contributes to achieving a key objective of the Water Resilience Strategy, the right to safe drinking water. It also responds to the call in the strategy for urgent action to tackle pollution threatening European drinking water sources.
To support consistent monitoring across the EU, the European Commission issued technical guidance in 2024 on analytical methods for measuring total PFAS and the sum of PFAS in drinking water.
These guidelines are based on a technical and socio-economic assessment and were developed in close cooperation with Member States. They define the most appropriate methods for monitoring PFAS in line with the recast directive.
The European Commission aims to completely eliminate PFAS from most current consumer uses, which is already prompting industries to seek alternative, harmless substitute substances. At the same time, it recognises that a complete phase-out may be difficult, and therefore plans to include exemptions, for example in the automotive sector, semiconductor manufacturing, and renewable energy. Some countries are not waiting for Commission decisions and are introducing PFAS restrictions independently. For instance, Denmark banned the use of PFAS in paper and cardboard food packaging as early as 2020. Moreover, from July 2026 it will introduce a ban on the sale and import of clothing, footwear, and waterproof products containing these substances.
What are forever chemicals – PFAS?
PFAS are a group of more than 10,000 synthetic chemical substances that do not biodegrade. It is estimated that over the last 30 years of their use, more than 4 million tonnes of these substances have been released into the environment. They are widely used in everyday products such as non-stick cookware, food packaging, waterproof clothing, and even cosmetics. PFAS reach us through water, food, and air, and their presence is associated with the risk of health problems. We have written about this in one of our previous articles: PFAS are already everywhere, even in the Amazon rainforest.
Impact of PFAS on humans
The greatest threat to the life and health of many organisms is the ability of PFAS to bioaccumulate. Currently, they are detected in the blood of 92 percent of US citizens. These compounds damage the liver, which attempts to degrade them, and cause thyroid diseases. A frequent consequence is also the development of cancer. PFAS disrupt hormonal balance, increase cholesterol levels, promote obesity and diabetes. Reduced fertility in women, low birth weight in newborns, and developmental disorders in children have also been observed. Increased incidence of these diseases in the vicinity of industrial plants using PFAS in production was the first signal prompting closer examination of their effects.
