Pregnant women warned not to drink contaminated tap water
A ban on drinking tap water has been introduced for people classed as vulnerable, including pregnant women, in 11 areas of eastern France because of chemical pollution from an airport.
Tap water in parts of the Haut-Rhin département, near the commune of Saint-Louis, has been found to contain two to four times the permissible levels of harmful 'forever chemicals' known as PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoralkyl substances.
The contamination was traced to the use of firefighting foam at the nearby airport of Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, according to a joint statement from the local authority and the regional health agency.
The statement said the airport 'has ceased the use of foams containing PFAS since January 2017', which means the airport authority cannot be held legally liable
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