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Found in all the regions in which they were searched, including Emilia-Romagna, i Pfas (poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances also known as “forever chemicals” or eternal pollutants). The analysis of Greenpeace “PFAS contamination in Italy”, based on the ISPRA database. The association points out that controls and analyzes are absent in some regions.
What the study finds
The analyzes carried out in Italy between 2019 and 2022 regarding the presence of Pfas in surface and groundwater they find that there are 18 thousand, with contamination present in 17%1 of the results.
Basilicata (31%), Veneto (30%) and Liguria (30%) are the Regions with the highest percentage of positive analyses: “The picture of the controls of the relevant bodies is disconcerting – points out Greenpeace Italia – almost 70% of national analysis was carried out in only four regions of northern Italy (Veneto and Piedmont, Lombardy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), while the remaining 30% is distributed in the other 12 affected by the checks, creating a disproportion in terms of number and accuracy to be clear – explains the environmentalist organization – while two thirds of the analyzes carried out throughout the national territory between 2019 and 2022 were carried out in the four regions of northern Italy, in the others the contribution to the total analyzes carried out does not exceed the threshold of 10%”.
Concentrations of Pfos and Pfoa
PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) belong to the family of perfluoroalkyl organic substances (PFAS).
Already about ten years ago, the presence of Pfos (a priority substance to be monitored in surface waters) in Veneto, Basilicata, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Umbria, Autonomous Province of Trento, Autonomous Province of Bolzano. In particular, in Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Liguria, a higher number of stations were detected in which the Pfos concentration was higher than 0.65 ng/l, the reference value for the corresponding EQS.
Pfos, now classified as a human carcinogen, was also found almost everywhere, but in higher concentrations in Veneto.
In addition to the Veneto and the Piedmont area adjacent to Solvay’s activities (Bormida di Spingo torrent and Tanaro river, near Alessandria), the highest concentrations of Pfoa – a molecule “carcinogenic to humans” – were detected in Lombardy. But next to this Region – where Greenpeace Italia has already verified the presence of Pfas in waters for human use – contamination would also appear – according to the study – in Emilia-Romagna and Lazio.
In detail, in 2022 the Pfoa would have been detected in:
● Piedmont: Dora Baltea River (Vercelli) and Scrivia Torrent (Alessandria);
● Emilia-Romagna: Municipality of Savignano – Capanni hamlet (Forlì-Cesena);
● Lombardy: Torrente Molgora, Lavagna and Cavaione (Milan), Municipality of Ottobiano (Pavia);
● Lazio: Municipality of Rome, near Ponte Galeria.
The situation in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna
In Emilia-Romagna between 2019 and 2022 the concentration is 0.0723 µg/l (micrograms per liter) as regards sampling from the Rubicone River, near Savignano (Forlì-Cesena). Critical issues were found in the rivers of Ravenna, in the areas of Comacchio and Canossa. Ispra and Arpa data provided by Greenpeace reveal that in 2022 PFAS was present in both underground and internal surface water.
“Emilia-Romagna pays upstream, from the Alessandria area, which discharges into the Tanaro and therefore into the Po – Giuseppe Ungherese, head of Greenpeace’s pollution group, told Bologna Today who has published a book on the subject “Eternal and invisible pollutants in water” (ed. Altraeconomia9 – but it is not new – he points out – these are harmful substances known since the 1930s. The causes of the concentration of these pollutants are many, from discharges, to waste, to sludge used as fertilizers, which can end up in drinking water and food. A scientist points out that these are molecules similar to those of asbestos which do not cause short-term effects, but small quantities are enough to give a false signal to our body”.
Arpa’s samples in 2019 found the presence of Pfas in the Navile canal, in Malassociazione, and in the Reno, in the Traghetto area (FE).
The recent explosion at the Bargi power plant, which caused seven victims, led to the intensification of monitoring by Hera of the water withdrawn from Lake Suviana “without recording any anomaly. Furthermore, the water service for the municipalities of Alto Reno Terme (fraction of Porretta), Castel di Casio, Gaggio Montano, some fractions of Grizzana Morandi and Vergato, is fully covered by the subsequent drinking water purification process of the Hera plant in Suviana” says the multiutility.
The Unibo study
The effects of PFAS on human health and the environment were recently analyzed with a comparative transcriptional analysis – published in the journal Toxics and carried out by scholars from the Alma Mater and the University of Padua – confirming that the effects of exposure to PFAS they are conserved at the molecular level both in different tissues and in different species, and produces consequences both in humans and in other animal species.
“From our analysis we have identified and reported several genes that show a coherent and evolutionarily conserved transcriptional response to PFAS,” says Federico Manuel Giorgi, professor at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the University of Bologna, who coordinated the study. “These results show for the first time that different PFAS molecules influence hormonal pathways and metabolic pathways, for example increasing the mechanisms of fatty acid accumulation and weakening the immune system.”
“Due to their high molecular stability – they explain from Unibo – in fact, these materials end up spreading widely in the environment, where they can remain for years. In particular, PFAS flow in large quantities into water basins, from where they can travel distances, entering the aquatic ecosystem and moving up the food chain to humans. Traces of these substances have been identified in breast milk, placenta, serum, seminal fluid and hair”, but, despite this evidence, up to July 2023, an overall analysis of all the data collected on the topic had not been carried out. The researchers then collected 2,144 samples from seven different animal species to examine molecular-level responses to PFAS exposure.
“Our objective – explains Giorgi – was to highlight the molecular effects induced by PFAS not only at the level of individual genes, but also on various molecular pathways and cell types. Our research thus offers a complete vision of the molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity of PFAS, in order to offer solid data on which to base the choices necessary to safeguard public health and the environment.”
Use of Pfas
- To give non-stick properties to the internal surfaces of pans.
- Some PFAS are used in cleaners, floor polishes and latex paints, as emulsifiers, surfactants or wetting agents.
- Some PFAS are used at the end of the manufacturing process to treat fabrics, upholstery, carpets and leather to provide resistance to water, oil, soil and stains;
- in medical articles for medical implants/prostheses and for products such as surgical drapes and gowns in non-woven fabric to make them waterproof to water and oil and resistant to stains;
- in metal plating;
- in oil processing and mining production;
- in the production of oil- and water-repellent papers and packaging (OECD/UNEP, 2013);
- in the production of fabrics, leather, carpets, clothing and upholstery (e.g. Gore-Text®);
- in the aeronautical, aerospace and defense sector, for the production of various mechanical components;
- in the automotive sector, to improve fuel delivery systems and to prevent petrol infiltration;
- in the production of cables and wiring, thanks to low flammability;
- in construction, to cover materials that become resistant to fire or atmospheric agents (such as glass fabrics, tiles, stone slabs, concrete or metals). Furthermore, they are used as additives in paints;
- in the electronic sector, thanks to its dielectric and water-repellent properties;
- in the energy sector, to cover solar collectors and improve their resistance to atmospheric agents;
- in fire-fighting products, such as foams and equipment.
(Source: Mario Negri Institute)
When is a “no PFAS” law?
Recently the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set very low limits for the presence of six molecules from the PFAS group in drinking water, explains Greenpeace: “In particular, for molecules that are carcinogenic or presumed to be carcinogenic to humans human (PFOA and PFOS respectively), the safety values will be equal to technical zero. With this provision, the US agency predicts that in the coming years the exposure of approximately one hundred million people to PFAS through drinking water will be avoided, preventing thousands of deaths. attributable to these substances”.
In France from 2026 the production and sale of non-essential products containing PFAS will be banned. That is, cosmetics, wax and clothes, except those for professional protection. The notice excludes pots and other kitchen utensils for now. Denmark has also imposed major bans on some industrial sectors, including textiles.
In Europe, environmental regulations suggest that Member States monitor the presence of chemical pollutants in water, including some of the more than 10,000 PFAS, but there is no specific obligation.
“In our country there is no ban on the use and production of PFAS, but we cannot even see effective national measures on the horizon to protect people’s health and the environment – complains Greenpeace – Precisely for this reason, despite the fact that they have existed in most industrial sectors for years safer alternatives, these substances continue to be used and therefore spilled with impunity, continuing to pollute and put our health at risk. Even in Italy, as in the rest of Europe, the European Directive 2020/2184 will come into force from 2026. limits for the presence of PFAS in drinking water. Limits that the international scientific community does not consider precautionary for human health. As a result, numerous nations have already adopted more severe limits”.
For Greenpeace Italia “the data relating to the presence of PFAS in Italy confirm a widespread and out of control national emergency, which affects not only the already known areas (some provinces of Veneto and Alessandria in Piedmont), but also numerous other areas of the country. There is no complete picture of this already serious situation given the ineffectiveness of controls in numerous regions, therefore the situation could be decidedly worse.
“Lack of data”
The comparison between the national ISPRA database and the databases provided by the Regional Environmental Protection Agencies revealed the presence of some differences. Specifically, they would be monitored by ARPA, but absent in the database published by ISPRA:
The values of PFAS / PFOS in surface waters of:
● Puglia and Sardinia for the years 2020-2022
● Autonomous Province of Trento, for the years 2021-2022
● Sicily for 2020;
● Campania for 2021;
● Basilicata for 2020.
The values of PFAS / PFOS in groundwater of:
● Basilicata and Campania for the years 2021-2022;
● Sicily for 2020;
● Valle d’Aosta and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano for 2020 and 2022.
