ALEXANDRIA – I numbers alone can mean everything and nothing if they are not placed in an appropriate context and above all they can be a way of not addressing the problem in depth. Claudio Lombardiformer environmental councilor of the Municipality of Alessandria, tells this and much more in his Report based on Arpa Piemonte data regarding PFAS in the air around the Spinetta chemical hub.
His report, also sent to the Municipality of Alessandria, raises a worried alarm about a situation recorded over the months. “The Alexandrian air is impregnated with PFAS emitted by the chemical center of Spinetta“, explained Lombardi who cross-referenced the data between the “white areas”, that is, areas at a significant distance from the sources of production, use and disposal of PFAS. The difference has “demonstrated the extent of pollution in the Alessandria area“. The former councilor in fact explained that aseptic values, without any comparison, cannot convey the extent of the problem, which instead would emerge from the in-depth analysis that he released today after a long analysis.
The final summary, Lombardi explains, is that “to Spinetta Marengo are recorded on some winter days concentrations of PFAS in the air by 1000 times higher as an order of magnitude to the assumed values as a reference (the white areas, the areas outside the production sources ed.) while the average values are 150 times higher“. “In Piovera, which is more than 10 km from the chemical hub, values were recorded maximums approximately 100 times higher than the reference value in March 2023 and 20 times as an average value”.
The problem, continues Lombardi, also reaches Alessandria (switchboard between Volta school and Carrà park) where “there first investigation carried out yielded maximum cC6O4 values approximately 40 times higher than the VR e averages of C6O4+ADV N2 approximately 20 times higher“. The former councilor then notes how “in September 2023 the presence of PFOA and PFNA was recorded in Spinetta the first decommissioned since 2013 according to Solvay and the second never used according to Solvay of the company. One wonders why no further such findings have been made substances in others and places and periods”.
This situation it should be transferred in the right way to the Administrationshas explained the former councilor who criticizes the fact that Arpa Piemonte has “reported the results of the analyseswhich is also of high scientific level, without comment, simply pointing out that national and European health authorities have not currently defined limits for PFAS in the atmosphere“. This data is “reassuring for the Alexandrian public administrations that receive the Arpa reports and such that they do not have to induce them to request further information“, effectively contesting the aseptic nature of the information transferred to those who are not experts. With the report In fact, Lombardi wanted to make people understand the differences from other territories, “identifying reliable publications that report the PFAS values of the “white areas” and which allow comparisons to be madebehavior adopted by the ARPA of the Veneto and Umbria Regions“. Now, concludes the former councilor, “And It is necessary for the Municipality to ask ARPA and ASL for a rapid validation of the very serious pollution reported in this note and then take measureseven radical ones, towards the Solvay chemical hub aimed at putting an end to it“.
