In the serene commune of Saint-Louis, nestled near the Swiss city of Basel, a crisis quietly unfolded that has now erupted into a full-blown public health emergency. Approximately 60,000 residents across 11 communes in the Haut-Rhin region of eastern France have been told to stop drinking their tap water due to dangerously high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals" for their stubborn persistence in the environment and human bodies.
The contamination, traced back to decades of firefighting foam use at the nearby Euro-Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, has led to France’s largest-ever ban on drinking tap water. Tests revealed PFAS concentrations up to four times the recommended safety limits, prompting authorities to advise vulnerable groups—including children under two, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and immunocompromised individuals—to avoid tap water entirely until at least the end of the year.
For residents like Sandra Wiedemann, a 36-year-old mother breastfeeding her six-month-old son in Buschwiller, the news was nothing short of terrifying. "I find it scary," she said. "Even if we stop drinking it we will be exposed to it and we can’t really do anything." The chemicals have infiltrated daily life—used for drinking, cooking, washing, and even showering—leaving families anxious about the invisible threat lurking in their water.
The source of the contamination is well-documented: firefighting foams containing PFAS were used at the airport since the 1960s to combat kerosene fires, ceasing only in 2017. While these foams were certified and even legally required until that year by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, their toxic residues have leached through soil into the groundwater, silently polluting the water supply for decades.
The fallout has been swift. Supermarkets have seen an unprecedented surge in bottled water sales, with Leclerc supermarket employee Clement Luake describing the demand as "massive." Normally stocking 63 pallets of bottled water weekly, deliveries have more than doubled to over 120 pallets, with four trucks arriving each week to replenish shelves. Yet, despite the rush, many residents remain fearful. A 70-year-old local woman said, "Even if we are not fragile we are scared. We are terrorised – this is about water, without which we cannot live."
The health implications of PFAS exposure are grave. These chemicals are linked to cancer, immune dysfunction, reproductive problems, infertility, and developmental delays in children. A residents’ association, Adra, led by Bruno Wollenschneider, has independently tested blood samples from members, finding contamination levels among the highest in France. The average PFAS concentration in their samples was 14.9 micrograms per litre (mcg/l), with some as high as 22 mcg/l. This is alarming considering the European Food Safety Authority identifies potential long-term health risks for levels above 6.9 mcg/l.
Wollenschneider expressed deep frustration with authorities, stating, "In France, we had faith in water – but that’s broken. Authorities lied to us, they tricked us. The airport is responsible. Water is a public good. The last thing is the law to force the authorities to act and make the airport pay – we don’t have the choice." His association, which has around 200 members, is at the forefront of a growing movement demanding accountability and transparency.
Local officials have acknowledged the severity of the situation. Thierry Litzler, vice-president of Saint-Louis urban area responsible for water management, noted, "Things went quickly from the moment we had the information." However, he declined to comment on why high PFAS levels detected as early as 2017 were not acted upon sooner, saying, "To know why a state service did do – or did not do – more than eight years ago, for me, it’s not the subject of the moment … I do not have the right to judge it today."
Meanwhile, the airport’s head of communications, Manuela Witzig, stated that the airport is "cooperating with the authorities in charge of investigating the case" and "intends to contribute financially to resolving the situation," though details remain vague.
The scale of the problem extends far beyond Saint-Louis. Across Europe, over 23,000 sites are contaminated with PFAS in water, soil, or living organisms. More than 2,300 of these sites already exceed the stricter limits on PFAS that the European Union will legally enforce starting January 2026, when a threshold of 0.1 micrograms per litre will come into effect. France alone has 34 communes where drinking water exceeds these new limits, and in the Lyon region, 160,000 people in 50 towns have been consuming water above the safe threshold.
Experts warn that Saint-Louis is just the "tip of the PFAS iceberg." Séverine Maistre, a Saint-Louis resident with a background in clinical drug trials, said, "I think that we are at the start of the story. Currently we are talking about peaks here and there … [But the chemicals] will be everywhere in France. It will be the same in Germany, in Switzerland, in the UK, and everywhere."
The crisis is not limited to PFAS contamination. Elsewhere in France, the Loire-Atlantique département faces groundwater pollution from nitrates due to agricultural fertilisers. Authorities have resorted to diluting contaminated water with river water to reduce nitrate levels. Despite these efforts, France has been fined four times by the European Union for breaching drinking water standards, and the EU’s top court is investigating ongoing non-compliance.
Addressing the PFAS contamination in Saint-Louis will require significant investment. New water treatment plants are planned at an estimated cost of €20 million, with annual operating expenses of around €600,000. Residents can expect water bills to rise starting in 2026 to help cover these costs. Vulnerable residents will receive a one-time €80 payment to help offset bottled water expenses, but for many, the damage extends beyond finances.
Environmental concerns compound the human health risks. PFAS chemicals accumulate in aquatic organisms, disrupting ecosystems worldwide. Studies have documented infections and reproductive issues in species ranging from alligators in North Carolina to seals in the Arctic. More than 600 species globally are at risk, with impacts cascading through ecosystems and altering their function.
As the community of Saint-Louis grapples with this crisis, the broader European battle over PFAS contamination intensifies. The case highlights critical questions about accountability, environmental justice, and the future of public water safety. Bruno Wollenschneider sums it up: "We are not isolated." Across the continent, communities are mobilising to demand cleaner water, greater transparency, and that polluters pay the price for their actions.
