The Flemish opposition party Groen has expressed strong disapproval of Environment Minister Jo Brouns' (CD&V) proposal to set the limit for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in drinking water at 15.6 micrograms per litre, Belga News Agency reports.
Flemish Parliament member Mieke Schauvliege (Groen) condemned the proposal. She underlined that the TFA limit is "seven times higher" than the 2.2 micrograms per litre used in Wallonia and that which is recommended by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. "You are playing with the health of the Flemish people," Schauvliege told Brouns. The CD&V minister insisted, however, that the proposed standard is "well-founded."
A recent study by the Société Wallonne des Eaux (SWDE), conducted on behalf of the Walloon region, found that nearly all of Wallonia's drinking water contains TFA. The substance is formed by the breakdown of PFAS-based pesticides and certain F-gases from refrigeration plants. It is known for its poor degradability and potential harmful health effects. The SWDE tested 642 drinking water zones and detected TFA in 598 of them. Some concentrations exceeded the 2.2 micrograms per litre guideline.
Flanders currently has no standard for TFA, but Brouns emphasised that this does not mean the issue is being ignored. The Flemish Environment Agency and the Department of Health are working on the matter. Additionally, the Flemish Institution for Technological Research (VITO) has reviewed the Dutch approach. The minister noted that the Dutch methodology involves "many uncertainties and assumptions."
"The research report commissioned by the Department of Health concludes that it is more solidly grounded to base the advisory value on what we already know about TFA itself and to incorporate a substantial safety margin to account for unknown risks. This results in a value of 15.6 micrograms per litre," Brouns stated.
'Scandalous'
Schauvliege was "shocked" by the CD&V minister's proposal. "I honestly find it scandalous. You are proposing standards that are seven times higher than the 2.2 micrograms. Have I understood that correctly?" She went on to accuse the minister of "playing with the health of the Flemish people."
Brouns insisted that the decision was not made hastily and is a "well-founded choice" by VITO and the Department of Health. The minister also pointed out that the limit in Germany, for instance, is significantly higher at 60 micrograms per litre.
Flemish MP Andy Pieters (N-VA) also raised the need for a decisive plan to phase out pesticide use in the Flemish Parliament's Environment Committee last week. Pieters suggested a differentiation between PFAS-containing pesticides and other crop protection products, as PFAS is only used in a limited number of cases as an active ingredient in pesticides and rather as a binding agent.
"It is in the interest of our health and environment that the action plan is implemented, is sufficiently ambitious and is not shelved. Moreover, major costs to our water treatment can be avoided by tackling the problem at source – not least when it comes to PFAS-containing pesticides."
