Overview
- Three environmental associations, joined by two residents, filed a complaint on 23 February alleging endangerment and environmental harm linked to PFAS in Arrentès‑de‑Corcieux, Tendon and Champdray (Vosges).
- The Epinal prosecutor confirmed receipt of the complaint and said an investigation will be opened, while a separate judicial inquiry launched in January in Nancy into Meuse contamination is underway with OCLAESP and the French biodiversity office co‑saisined.
- Testing has triggered prefectural bans on drinking tap water across 18 communes in the Ardennes, Meuse and Vosges, with concentrations reported up to 27 times the limit at Villy (Ardennes).
- A new media investigation published on 25 February reports record PFAS levels in agricultural soils in the Meuse and Ardennes, signs of migration into streams and wells, and a prefectural document citing fish deemed non‑compliant with EU standards in the Bar river.
- Associations point to decades of industrial sludge spreading as a likely source, and in Belgium a civil case targeting 3M over PFAS near Zwijndrecht is being heard as the company says it ended PFAS production at the site in 2024 and is funding remediation.