North Holland tap water contains far too much PFAS, Zaanstad leads the Netherlands

A recent investigation by Greenpeace reveals that tap water across most of North Holland contains PFAS levels exceeding the strict health guidelines established by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Approximately 95 percent of the region's residents receive water that surpasses these health-based thresholds, with Zaanstad, Haarlem, Haarlemmermeer, and Amsterdam identified as the municipalities with the highest concentrations. While the findings are significant, both the RIVM and local water suppliers PWN and Waternet maintain that the water remains safe to drink and continues to meet all current legal requirements.

Experts explain that the discrepancy arises because the RIVM uses a much stricter health advisory of 4.4 nanograms per liter compared to existing European legal standards. Water providers emphasize that they are actively working to remove these substances through improved technology, but they cannot address the root cause of the contamination. Greenpeace and utility companies agree that the long-term solution requires ending the industrial discharge of PFAS into the environment rather than switching to bottled water.