Map: check the quality of your tap water in France

People in France can now verify the quality of their tap water via a new, interactive online tool.

A colour-coded map featuring public data on five main pollutants, compiled and analysed by French associations Générations futures and Data for Good, was published on October 16 on the Dans Mon Eau (In My Water) website.

This action comes after the European Commission formally notified France that it must provide the public with ‘mandatory information’ on the quality of tap water.

Information regarding water quality has previously been available for some parts of France, particularly after certain communes were forced to ban tap water consumption due to contamination by PFAS - widely known as ‘forever chemicals’. However, relevant data is often difficult to access and complex to understand.

“While the pollution of drinking water is a concern for many of us, it is very difficult to gain a clear understanding of water quality. This unique tool is simple and accessible to all, bringing together official data that is updated as soon as new results become available,” stated Générations futures and Data for Good.

How to use

Visit the Dans Mon Eau site and scroll until you find the interactive map of France covered with coloured dots.

On the unfiltered map, the different colours indicate water pollution levels:

• Grey - no data for pollutants in the last 12 months

• Green - no pollutants detected by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS)

• Yellow - at least one pollutant detected without exceeding quality limits

• Orange - at least one pollutant exceeds quality limits (non-compliant water)

• Red - water not recommended for consumption by all or part of the population (according to recommendations from the Ministère de la Santé or Santé Publique)

You can type the name of your town into the search bar to see local water quality results.

You can also filter these results to show levels of a particular pollutant. 

The latest analysis results date to August 29, however you can also see ‘non-compliance summary’ maps over previous years (from 2020). These maps indicate the percentage of analyses carried out during the year that were non-compliant with regulations for at least one pollutant.

Understanding pollutant levels 

The national food safety agency, l’Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (ANSES), works to set a quality limit for each of the five main types of pollutants: pesticides, PFAS, nitrates, perchlorate and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). 

Pesticides

For pesticides, the threshold of 0.1 micrograms per litre (µg/L) is exceeded in 5.6% of water networks (1,347) in France, according to the latest data analysed by Générations futures. 

The association highlights: “the quality limits applied to pesticides have no health significance. Thus, exceeding quality or indicative limits indicates a deterioration in water quality but does not mean that there is a proven health risk.”

PFAS 

PFAS are chemicals used in many objects for non-stick, waterproofing or heat-resistant properties. The regulatory limit is 0.1 µg/L for the sum of the 20 PFAS.

Children are the most susceptible to PFAS exposure, with these pollutants also being linked to immune system disorders, increased cholesterol, low birth weight and an increased risk of certain cancers, explains Générations futures. 

Nitrates

Nitrate is a compound formed from nitrogen and oxygen. It appears naturally in the environment but also occurs when fertilisers have been used on the land. Pregnant women and children are advised not to consume water containing more than 50 mg/L of this substance. Water is completely banned from consumption if levels reach over 100 mg/L.

Exposure to nitrites can make it difficult for the human body to properly transport oxygen.

Perchlorate

Perchlorate ‘salts’ are mainly used in the military and aerospace industries. Information concerning perchlorate is only available for some parts of France, as illustrated on the relevant map.

They should not exceed 4 µg/L for infants under 6 months of age and 15 µg/L for pregnant and breastfeeding women, according to the recommendations of the Ministère de la Santé, as perchlorates interfere with the thyroid's ability to absorb iodine. 

Vinyl chloride monomer

The threshold is much stricter for VCM, a chemical gas that comes from certain old PVC pipes (pre 1980). Water consumption restrictions may be put in place if levels reach over 0.5 µg/L.

“VCM has been classified as a definite human carcinogen [liver cancer] by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) since 1987,” states Générations futures.

The association warns that only about a quarter of VCM non-compliance cases identified by the ARS are made public and therefore the information displayed on the map is largely incomplete - however this should soon be updated.