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

Legal scholar Clarissa Groß on European values at the EU’s external borders

The tense situation in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta has been making headlines for weeks. The exodus of thousands of Moroccans has once again placed migration and border policy at the very top of the EU’s agenda. Clarissa Groß, a research assistant at the Institute for European Law, is examining the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), the design and practical implementation of the new border procedures, and their compatibility with the right to personal liberty as part of her doctoral thesis. She recently visited the Greek island of Lesbos, which remains a migration hotspot, to assess the situation on the ground.

Graz is a magnet for 750 physicists: international conference on campus

Whether in mobile phones, medical devices or solar power systems: physical phenomena are part of our everyday lives. The vast scope of this discipline will be explored at a major conference taking place at the University of Graz from 20 to 25 September 2026. More than 750 scientists will transform the campus into a European hub for physics.

A fresh start, a calling, holidays: what draws people from other career paths to teaching

They used to develop software; now they teach maths in the classroom. Career changers are expected to help address the shortage of qualified teachers in Austria’s schools. In their doctoral theses at the Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Training at the University of Graz, Melanie Gürentz and Claudia Mair examined how these new teachers perceive their new professional roles.

Talent Talks bridge the gap in career guidance

The Styrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO Steiermark), the Styrian Chamber of Labour (AK Steiermark) and the AMS are joining forces when it comes to training young people and, through the “Talent Talks”, are creating a seamless pathway to career guidance. This takes preparation and follow-up support – just in time for the start of the term and the scheme’s tenth anniversary – to a whole new level. A new survey conducted by the Talent Centre among 2,687 former participants to mark the anniversary shows just how important this development is. Of the young people who received follow-up support from the Talent Report, 74.6 per cent stated that they had a good understanding of their own strengths and talents following the Talent Check. Without follow-up support, the figure was 66.5 per cent – a significant difference of 8.1 percentage points.