Tomorrow ATS della Montagna will carry out new analyzes in the waters of the Tonale pass contaminated by Norovirus. The general director of the Agency explained to Fanpage.it what happened and what the next steps will be.
(archive photo of the Tonale pass)
L’water from the Tonale pass it is not yet usable. After some analyzes brought out the presence of Norovirus within the water network of the pass, the municipality of Ponte di Legno has issued an ordinance prohibiting the use of water (unusable for washing fruit and vegetables, nor for oral hygiene). The problem is limited and it was found that contaminated water is of interest only the Tonale aqueduct, not the neighboring ones. The president of theMountain Health Protection AgencyVincenzo Petronella, explained to Fanpage.it what is really happening and how the situation will evolve.
Doctor Petronella, what type of water analysis have you carried out so far and in what percentage was Norovirus found in the waters of the Tonale pass?
Following a report of a suspected food-borne disease (MTA), which affected a school group on holiday at a hotel in Passo del Tonale, with the appearance of gastrointestinal symptoms in some children, the Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service of the ATS Montagna, took action to carry out the appropriate checks and proceeded with the sampling of mains water for the search for Norovirus.
“Don’t even wash fruit and teeth”: what does the ordinance that prohibits the use of water in some areas of Lombardy say
The result of the analyzes highlighted the presence of the sought pathogen. Thus, communication was given to the Mayor (of Ponte di Legno) to issue an order preventing the water from being drinkable for the protection of public health until normality is restored.
One week later, after an evaluation with the water network manager to identify the possible cause of the contamination, the samples were repeated both in the same network point previously sampled and in other significant points which confirmed positivity for Norovirus only at a sampling point.
Vincenzo Petronella, general director of the Mountain ATS (photo from the press office)
What analyzes are you doing now to resolve the problem and ensure that the ordinance issued by the municipality of Ponte di Legno is revoked?
ATS Montagna operators are constantly in contact with the aqueduct manager to provide indications and support regarding the interventions to be carried out to resolve the problem.
On April 24th the sampling will be repeated following the reclamation interventions carried out along the water network by the manager. Only following compliant outcomes will it be possible to revoke the existing ordinance.”
How did the Norovirus arrive in the waters of the Tonale pass?
It is not always possible to reconstruct the cause of water pollution as the factors are multiple and of various nature. Meteorological events such as heavy rains and snowfalls, which occurred in the period immediately preceding the pollution, may have played an important role.
What and how many other cases of Norovirus-contaminated aqueducts do you know?
In the last 10 years, no Norovirus-related contamination of the aqueduct has been recorded in our area. The Mountain ATS carries out approximately 3 thousand samples of drinking water every year, both microbiological and chemical.
In 2023, 82% of the samples analyzed were found to be compliant, demonstrating that the quality of the water intended for human consumption in the area (of Sondrio and in general near the Tonale pass) is excellent.
Tags: tomorrow analyzes Tonale
