Pfas alarm in waterways: contaminated Italian regions. Here’s what they are

Pfas, contaminated waterways in 16 regions. Greenpeace’s warning

PFAS alert in our waterways. A recent report presented by Greenpeace highlighted the presence of these substances dangerous for the environment and human health in the waterways of 16 Italian regions. While for Calabria, Molise, Puglia and Sardinia there is no data available yet. In the House Greenpeace together with other environmental movements, it highlighted the urgency of intervening, proposing a ban on the production and use of PFAS in Italy. These chemical substances, characterized by great persistence in the environment, are associated with various health risks, including possible carcinogenicity.

Greenpeace based its conclusions on an analysis of data collected in a database of the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), which includes the results of analyzes carried out by the Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPA) between 2019 and 2022.

The Greenpeace report reveals that 17% of the samples analyzed present traces of PFAS, with significant geographical variability. Regions such as Basilicata, Veneto and Liguria show the highest percentages of contaminated samples. In particular, Veneto, Piedmont, Lombardy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia conducted almost 70% of the total analyses, revealing a lack of homogeneity in the attention and resources dedicated to controls on a national scale.

The situation in Veneto is particularly worrying, where PFOS and PFOA levels significantly exceed the average, especially in the provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Padua, already known for serious PFAS contamination. Piedmont also records high levels of these substances in water bodies, especially due to discharges from the chemical Solvay, now Syensqo, the last producer of PFAS in Italy.

Greenpeace, highlighting the seriousness of the phenomenon and the need for urgent action, asks the Italian government to adopt restrictive measures on the use of PFAS, following the example of other European countries and the United States. The fragmented nature of the controls and the absence of data for some Regions add elements of concern, making decisive intervention imperative to protect the environment and public health.