Researchers of the University of Graz warn about toxic PFAS as in the River Mur

PFASs are long-lasting environmental toxins that are found, for example, in impregnated textiles, food packaging or fire extinguishers. Researchers:inside the University of Graz examined the Leibnitz and Gössendorf sewage treatment plants for PFAS residues. The result: the sewage treatment plants cannot remove these substances from the wastewater. On the contrary: the concentration of PFAS even increases due to the treatment process. This has consequences for the environment and health.

A research group at the University of Graz led by chemist Jörg Feldmann has examined the Leibnitz and Gössendorf sewage treatment plants in Styria for residues of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, PFAS for short. The research clearly shows that the wastewater of the city of Graz is polluted with the environmental toxins, which have been regularly detected in food, plants, animals and also in human blood since the 2000s.

The background: PFAS are among the most widespread plastics in industry and households, from where they get into the wastewater via textile washing, among other things. PFAS is a collective term for more than 10,000 individual substances that persist in the environment for a particularly long time, as do their degradation products.

For decades, the effects of these substances on human health were underestimated. It is now known that PFASs can affect the environment and human health for generations to come. Especially for pregnant women and small children, these substances pose a health risk.

Environmental toxin in the Mur

Research teams all over the world are now investigating the concentration of PFASs in wastewater. In Central Europe, however, the data is scarce, which motivated the Graz researchers to conduct their study. The laboratory results show that the discharged wastewater is already contaminated with various PFAS compounds. The amount of degradation substances such as extractable organically bound fluorine (EOF) are also significantly increased, as expected.

However, it is striking that the concentration of these substances is even additionally increased in the purified water. For Feldmann, this is a worrying result: "These measurable PFAS are very mobile and can even reach the groundwater and thus also appear in drinking water." The scientists assume that new PFASs are formed from synthetic precursor substances in the course of biological purification. This is also indicated by the water samples from the Mur, which were taken both upstream and downstream of the treatment plant.

Here it is clear that the proportion of PFASs in the surface water downstream of the treatment plants is increased. "The measured values are where you would find them in any big city," Feldmann explains. He does not see any failure of the sewage treatment plants here; there is simply a lack of the necessary technology.

"So far, there are no methods with which these substances can be removed from wastewater," explains scientist Viktoria Müller, who also carried out the measurements. She is therefore already planning a follow-up study: "I now want to investigate whether improved filter systems and treating the water with ozone can reduce the concentration with PFAS."

Publication:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135423009417

Roman Vilgut

Related news

Chemical Christmas show at the University of Graz: An explosive evening at the Schauspielh

At the beginning of December, the University of Graz transformed the theater into a laboratory: as part of “Chemical Life,” teacher training students staged a chemical Christmas show for Styrian school classes—complete with ethanol rockets, nitrogen snow, and glowing effects. An evening designed to inspire interest in studying chemistry.

Train by train: Koralm railway accelerates exchange between the Universities

Lectures at the University of Klagenfurt in the morning, seminars at the University of Graz in the afternoon: Austria's longest tunnel and a journey time of around 45 minutes make it easy. The Koralm railway increases the speed of networking between the two university locations. The collaboration builds on existing cooperation - for example in the areas of teacher training, Slavic studies and as employers, the universities are well coordinated.

On the trail of the Big Bang: University of Graz receives 1.5 million euros for doctoral programmes

The Austrian Science Fund FWF has selected the Doctoral Programme in Theoretical Particle Physics at the University of Graz for funding from the Doc.funds. Six young scientists will be funded for 3.5 years. They will gain fundamentally new insights into the origins of the world.

From trans women and knee prostheses: sports science prizes awarded

Walking better with a prosthesis, successfully getting rid of excess weight, training more effectively, more fairness for trans people in sport: these were the topics addressed by the students at the University of Graz who were awarded the sports science prizes for their Master's theses on 3 December 2025.