PFAS contamination fishing ban Indre France, Digi Mart USA News (Indre, France): The prefecture of Indre said on Tuesday, November 3, that the presence of persistent pollutants known as PFAS had been confirmed on 54 hectares of agricultural plots that received sludge spreading from the wastewater treatment plant of the Balsan company between the 1990s and summer 2025, according to ICI Berry, which reported the story on Wednesday, November 4.
As a result, fishing and fish consumption have been banned from the source of the Bouzanne river down to its confluence with the Creuse at Pont-Chrétien-Chabenet, as well as on all tributaries connected to the Bouzanne, effective Wednesday. PFAS presence in the Bouzanne river has also been confirmed due to aqueous discharges, particularly downstream at Velles.
The prefecture stated in its release, as transmitted to ICI Berry, that “at this stage, the extent of the contamination and its possible transfer to agricultural production are not known. Nothing allows us to conclude that food products are non-compliant, but analyses are underway to verify this.” It also said that no non-compliance has been found in drinking water.
The prefecture said analyses will be scheduled to measure the possible presence of PFAS in the flesh of fish present in the river, a monitoring plan for the watercourse will be developed, and investigations are ongoing into ponds hydrologically connected to the Bouzanne. Samples will also be taken of feed products for animals, such as silage, forage and cereals, as well as of marketed products including meat, since the animals concerned do not produce milk for consumption.
Plant production intended for human food will also be monitored and analyzed.
Balsan Moquette told ICI Berry that no sludge has been spread since July 2025. The industrial site, which manufactures carpets in the town of Arthon, has not used fluorinated resin since 2016, and in summer 2025 alternatives were found for two red dyes that were considered to contain PFAS.
