Fishing and consumption of fish banned because of PFAS in a sector of Indre

The Indre prefecture indicated on Tuesday November 3 that the presence of eternal pollutants (PFAS) was confirmed on 54 hectares of agricultural plots having received sludge from the Balsan wastewater treatment plant, between the 1990s and the summer of 2025, reports Wednesday November 4 ICI Berry.

Consequently, fishing and the consumption of fish are prohibited from the source of the Bouzanne, to the confluence of the Bouzanne with the Creuse at Pont-Chrétien-Chabenet as well as to all tributaries connected to the Bouzanne as of Wednesday.

The presence of PFAS in the Bouzanne River is also confirmed due to aqueous discharges, particularly downstream, at Velles. “At this stage, the extent of the contamination and its possible transfer to agricultural production are not known. Nothing allows us to conclude that the foodstuffs are non-compliant, but analyzes are being undertaken to verify this,” specifies the prefecture in its press release sent to ICI Berry. “No non-compliance was noted in drinking water,” it is also indicated.

“Analyses will be scheduled to measure the possible presence of PFAS in the flesh of the fish present, and a monitoring plan for the watercourse will be constructed. Investigations are also underway on the ponds hydrologically linked to the Bouzanne,” describes the press release from the prefecture.

It is also necessary to ensure that the animals have not been exposed to these eternal pollutants. Samples will be taken from products included in the food ration of these animals (silage, fodder, cereals, etc.) on the basis of sampling to assess the risk of transfer of PFAS, as well as from marketed products (meat in particular, the animals concerned do not produce drinking milk). Plant production intended for human food will also be monitored and analyzed.

With ICI Berry, Balsan Moquette specifies that there has been no spreading of sludge since July 2025. The industrial site, which manufactures carpets in the town of Arthon, has no longer used fluoride resin since 2016. And in the summer of 2025, alternatives were found for two red dyes which were considered to contain PFAS.