Occurrence and Interbrand Variability of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Bottled Water Marketed in France

Information on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in French drinking water remains limited, particularly for bottled water. This study investigated 65 targeted PFAS and the adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF) index in 70 plastic bottled water samples from 15 commercial brands, complemented by analyses of 14 tap water samples collected in Besançon (France). AOF values were consistently below the limit of quantification (2,000 ng/L) in all samples. All 20 regulated PFAS were below their analytical limits of quantification (LOQ) in bottled water samples (LOQ ≤ 56 ng/L). In contrast, tap water contained 11 PFAS, including eight regulated compounds, although the sum of the 20 regulated PFAS remained below the European threshold of 100 ng/L. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), not currently regulated, was the only compound consistently quantified in all samples. In bottled waters, TFA ranged from 50 to 1,300 ng/L, with significant variability among brands (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.001). Tap water showed systematically higher TFA levels (560–2,100 ng/L; mean 1,054 ± 593 ng/L), with no significant spatial differences among sampling locations. Overall, TFA emerged as the dominant fluorinated contaminant in both bottled and tap waters, occurring at concentrations one to 2 orders of magnitude higher than regulated PFAS. These findings highlight the limitations of current PFAS monitoring frameworks and support the inclusion of persistent short-chain compounds such as TFA in future regulatory and surveillance strategies.