PARIS — Europe's rivers, lakes and groundwater are riddled with "alarming" levels of a persistent man-made 'forever chemical' linked to synthetic pesticides, a coalition of non-governmental organizations said on Monday.

The European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) and its members analyzed more than two dozen surface and groundwater samples from 10 European Union countries and found PFAS long-life substances in all.

They said the abundance of one chemical in particular, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), represented "the largest known area-wide contamination by a man-made chemical" that well exceeded limits proposed by the 27-nation EU.

"The extent of the contamination is alarming and calls for decisive action," PAN Europe said in a new report detailing its findings.

Widely used in everyday items like cosmetics, non-stick pans and fire extinguishers, PFAS are highly durable products that can take centuries to break down.

They have been detected in water, air, fish and soil in the remotest corners of the globe, and concern over their possible impact on human health has been growing.

Degrading PFAS used in pesticides are a major source of TFA. They are also released into the atmosphere from certain cooling systems and eventually enter the water cycle through rain.

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