Pfas in waters, not only Veneto and Piedmont: found in 16 Italian regions

The presence of the forever PFAS pollutants, several of which are toxic, has been massively detected in the waters of some regions such as Veneto and Piedmont, but as revealed by a Greenpeace investigation starting from the Ispra database, these substances have been found in 16 regions

The presence of forever PFAS pollutants, several of which are toxic, has been massively detected in the waters of some regions such as Veneto and Piedmont, but as revealed by an investigation by Greenpeace starting from the Ispra database, these substances were found in 16 regions

The Ispra database hosts the results of the analyzes carried out by the regional ARPA and autonomous provinces in Italy between 2019 and 2022 regarding the presence of PFAS in water bodies (rivers, lakes and groundwater).

Almost 18 thousand tests positive for PFAS in 16 regions

According to Ispra data, Pfas contamination is present in 17% of the results obtained from the controls carried out by the relevant bodies between 2019 and 2022, for pollution that affects all the Regions in which the monitoring was carried out. This is almost 18 thousand tests positive for Pfas, a result that clearly shows widespread environmental pollution of these dangerous chemicals in our country.

There percentage of positive values for PFAS varies from Region to Region, also depending on the accuracy of the measurements carried out by the various public bodies. The more a Region carries out checks and uses precise and cutting-edge tools, the more likely it is that PFAS positivity will be detected during monitoring.

Basilicata (31%), Veneto (30%) and Liguria (30%) are the Regions with the highest percentage of positive analyses compared to the checks carried out between 2019 and 2022. Also six other Regions (Lombardy, Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo, Campania) have a positivity rate higher than 10% in the period taken into consideration.

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In some areas little or no controls

Despite this widespread contamination, there is a strong lack of homogeneity in the controls of the responsible bodies: almost 70% of the national analyzes were in fact carried out in just four regions of northern Italy (Veneto and Piedmont, affected by historical and well-documented cases, to which are added Lombardy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), while the remaining 30% is distributed in the other 12 Regions affected by the checks, creating a disproportion in terms of numbers and accuracy. In four regions of southern Italy (Puglia, Sardinia, Molise and Calabria), from 2017 to 2022, however, there is no control on the presence of Pfas in water bodies.

Black jersey for Veneto, followed by Piedmont

And the Veneto the Region where we find the higher concentrations of Pfoa (a “carcinogenic molecule for humans) and Pfos. “A result that is not surprising given that this Region has for years been the scene of one of the most serious PFAS contaminations in all of Europe, due to environmental pollution which also involves the drinking water of several municipalities in the provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Padua” recalls Greenpeace.

Also in Piedmont Particularly high concentrations of PFOA and PFOS have been found in affected water bodies waste from the chemical company Solvay (now Syensqo), the only active production company of Pfas in Italy. In addition to Veneto and Piedmont, the highest concentrations of Pfoa were detected in Lombardy, followed by Emilia-Romagna and Lazio.

Greenpeace: we need a national law against PFAS

The environmental association comments: “The situation represented by the Ispra data is serious, but the reality could be even worse because it is partial data. To protect the environment and people’s health, the United States and several European countries have already adopted limits on the use of PFAS, replacing them with safer alternatives already available. We ask our government to do the same with a national law that limits the use and production of these dangerous substances.”