PFAS Contamination Crisis Grips French Communities, Sparking Citizen Action
In a concerning turn of events, tap water in 16 communes across the Ardennes and Meuse regions of France has been officially declared undrinkable since July 10, 2025. Analyses have revealed widespread contamination by PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” This revelation has ignited anger and a flurry of questions among residents, leading to growing mobilization.
The pressing questions from concerned citizens include:
- “What effects could contaminated water have on my cat?”
- “Are PFAS present in the groundwater?”
- “Why can’t we drink the water, but boiling pasta is okay? It’s absurd!”
These questions are flooding the Facebook page “PFAS Meuse – Mouvement citoyen,” created on Monday, July 7, 2025, immediately following the release of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) analyses. The analyses confirmed an alarmingly high concentration of PFAS in the drinking water supply of the affected communes.
The decree prohibiting the consumption of tap water impacts a total of 3,500 residents, with 2,800 residing in 12 communes in the Ardennes and the remainder in four communes in the Meuse. Villy, in the Ardennes, tops the list with a staggering 2,729 ng/l of PFAS measured in its tap water in February, 27 times the legal limit. The mayors of the affected communes are grappling with the crisis, tasked with providing 2 liters of bottled water per day to each resident. As a result, anger and anxiety are escalating in the affected villages, with questions multiplying.
“A Sense of Injustice” and a Plethora of Questions
Manuel Delgoffe, a resident of Juvigny-sur-Loison, a commune in the Meuse with contaminated water, launched the Facebook page to facilitate dialogue and action. “We are exchanging information about what has happened and what we can do. Many people want to find those responsible and initiate legal action quickly. Of course, we need to identify those who must pay. But my priority is to figure out how to live with PFAS in our water. We can’t do anything about it; that’s just how it is.”
Delgoffe expresses a “certain sense of injustice,” given his conscious efforts to consume locally grown produce and use tap water to reduce plastic waste. “In the end, we are more at risk than people who buy industrial food, which is frustrating,” he laments. He emphasizes the need for more comprehensive analyses beyond just water testing: “Are the soils polluted? What about the rivers? The farm animals? The eggs, the vegetables, our gardens? We have no information on any of this.”
A Common Source of Pollution Between the Meuse and the Ardennes: “We Need to Unite”
According to the ARS, the water contamination is likely linked to the spreading of “paper mill sludge” on agricultural land near water sources. The spreading activities associated with the Stenay paper mill in the Meuse, which closed in 2024, are under scrutiny.
“Whether we are from the Meuse or the Ardennes, even though we are not under the same political administration, we need to unite to make ourselves heard and hopefully get answers,” Delgoffe asserts. Currently, he is primarily seeking information from state services, including soil assessments, blood tests for residents, and alternative solutions to bottled water.
The Ardennes prefecture has stated that water distribution falls under the jurisdiction of the communes and that the state does not subsidize this measure. However, the prefecture assures that the state is supporting the communities in managing the situation. The prefect plans to organize a PFAS monitoring committee in the fall.
The Facebook page, currently named “PFAS Meuse – Mouvement citoyen,” has garnered over 400 members. Delgoffe is considering renaming it “PFAS Meuse et Ardenne.” A group of residents is scheduled to meet soon and may form an association. The citizen movement has also reached out to a Belgian collective, established after similar PFAS water contamination revelations in Chièvres in 2023, to share experiences and strategies.
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