In Denmark, we have been proud of our clean drinking water for many years. But there is a serious threat lurking: PFAS pesticides. These chemicals have found their way into our groundwater. PFAS substances, also called “forever chemicals”, are extremely problematic; they are very difficult to break down in nature, they accumulate and they have the potential to cause damage to both the environment and health.

Greenpeace has in a new analysis documented that agriculture has used PFAS pesticides in protection areas near wells in 59 municipalities between August 2023 and July 2024. In the municipalities where the situation is worst, more than half of the protected areas have been sprayed with these harmful pesticides.

When spraying takes place in the very areas where drinking water is formed – and where it is therefore intended to be protected – it is no longer a theoretical risk scenario. It is reality. The Ministry of the Environment has even recognizedthat a large part of the damage to the groundwater has already occurred.

Although the Danish Environmental Protection Agency withdrew the approval of several PFAS pesticides earlier this year, these agents are still legal until November 2026. In addition, it is still possible for agriculture to use Secondly, PFAS-containing pesticides that are not regulated.

An important political effort is expected, where spraying bans are being worked on in the municipalities. Not only in the fields where drinking water is formed, but also near schools and institutions, for example. It should also be ensured that it is the polluter who pays the bill for the purification of drinking water – not the citizens, as is the case today. Because it is certainly not free.

It is about our shared supply of clean drinking water — about ensuring that future generations can drink clean water from the tap. It is about protecting nature, groundwater and the sea, because pollution from agriculture does not stop at the field boundary. The pollution will further burden watercourses, coasts and seas.

Every day we hesitate, the situation worsens. It is high time we prioritize the health of citizens and the environment over short-term economic interests.

The debate post was published in Sjællandske Nyheder on November 16, 2025, and was written by Lone Hjorth Mikkelsen, Green Transition Denmark and Claus Jørgensen, KV candidate for SF in Lejre.