This is an unprecedented legal battle, for our good, which is taking place between environmentalist associations and public authorities. The associations “Comité Citoyen” and France Nature Environnement de la Sarthe filed an appeal against the State on October 27, accusing it of not having taken the necessary measures to deal with the presence of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) in drinking water.
A “State” with absent subscribers on the subject
According to the associations, the authorities have had information on the contamination for years but have not taken concrete action. This injunction, a first in France on the subject, aims to force the State to react, as explained by Me Gabrièle Gien, lawyer specializing in environmental law:
“This appeal aims to force the State, which has not responded to us for months, to react.”
The action follows several procedures initiated by residents of different municipalities confronted with pollution at the CVM and, according to the lawyer, “a lack of reaction from the State”. The associations demand strict compliance with existing regulations, particularly in terms of identification of contaminated sections, reinforced controls and information of the populations concerned.
Pipes from before 1980 particularly concerned
The problem is old. Used since the 1930s as the main component of PVC plastic, CVM has long been present in significant quantities in drinking water pipes. It was only from 1980 that its concentration was reduced in the pipes, after health alerts.
Faced with the dangerous nature of the gas, in 1998 the European Union set a regulatory limit of 0.5 micrograms of MVC per liter of water. But France only transposed this directive in 2003, and regular checks only began in 2010.
Since 1987, CVM, classified as a proven carcinogen, has been suspected of contaminating drinking water via PVC pipes, potentially affecting 140,000 kilometers of network in France. According to researcher Gaspard Lemaire, doctoral student at the Earth chair and author of a study cited last January, the CVM is present in 15% to 30% of the French network.
PVC, the worst plastic?
Contacted on the subject for a previous subject, Dr Pierre Souvet, cardiologist and president of the Association Santé Environnement France (ASEF), was hardly surprised by the growing controversy. For him, the CVM is only the tip of the iceberg.
“There was already a study on this subject in 2003, when we replaced lead pipes, which are also very toxic, and still present in particular in Île-de-France and in the PACA region. We therefore replaced this with PVC, which not only, with wear, releases gases, monomer, but also additives, phthalates, bisphenol… We must realize that PVC is the most toxic of all plastics.”
How to get out of this contamination?
But how can we replace this aging infrastructure without weighing down public finances? Dr Souvet put forward a few ideas:
“In terms of material, we can consider high-density polyethylene, a little less aggressive in vitro, or stainless steel, relatively inert. But the latter remains difficult to deploy over thousands of kilometers of network.”
The doctor also highlights the lack of transparency of water operators: “Unfortunately, water companies remain quite opaque about the material their pipes are made of today. And knowing that the renewal of pipes in France is done at around 0.6% per year, getting out of this contamination can take an infinite time.”
An action plan that does not come naturally
Faced with growing concerns, the associations are now calling for a national map of pipes at risk and an emergency plan on a national scale. The State, for its part, assures that an action plan is in progress… but without a precise timetable or transparency on the means involved.
In the meantime, millions of households continue to turn on their taps without really knowing what comes out.