PFAS:production was reauthorized at Solvay in Alessandria, despite the alarm

Investigations for pollution, trials for environmental disasters, analyzes that detected Pfas in the blood of the citizens of Alessandria and even the production stop imposed in June were not enough:after less than a month and a half, the chemical center Syensqo (formerly Solvay) received authorization from the Province to resume the production and use of Pfas cC604, a substance classified as toxic to humans.The news was given by the Environment councilor of the municipality of Alessandria Giorgio Laguzzi - who explained that the decision would have been taken on the basis of data presented by the company and by Arpa analyzes - and the former councilor Claudio Lombardi, who however, he denounced that everything would have happened based on «checks and activities carried out by an expert appointed by Solvay». The reaction from environmental associations and the Stop Solvay committee was immediate, who sent a letter of concern to the Piedmont Region asking for immediate action to protect citizens.

Despite the investigations due to pollution and the closure requests made by various local committees, the start of the process for an environmental disaster involving over 250 civil parties - including environmental associations and institutions - for the preliminary hearing only, analyses of the blood where in 100% of cases, Pfas concentrations higher than the critical threshold of 2 nanograms per liter were detected and even the arrest imposed by the province of Alessandria following the controls performed by Arpa Piemonte, Syensqo - the former Solvay - has resumed the production of Pfas cC604, which had also been found in the surrounding aquifers.«We have received one from the province of Alessandria official email authorizing the chemical hub to restart with the production and use of cC6O4, based on the data produced by the company and Arpa in recent months", declared Giorgio Laguzzi, councilor for the environment of the municipality of Alessandria. Second Claudio Lombardi, on the other hand, member of Legambiente and former councilor for the Environment, «last July 24th Solvay resumed production and in the atmosphere of Spinetta, but also of a vast area of ​​Fraschetta up to Montecastello, Piovera and Alessandria they began to pour again toxic Pfas in the air.The Province has authorized the resumption of production and use of cC604.But we also learn that this happened after a heated debate with Arpa which had sent reports proving interventions to resolve the losses based not on activities carried out directly but on studies, checks and activities carried out by an expert appointed by Solvay».In essence, according to Lombardi, these would be irregular procedures as the control activities should be conducted by Arpa and not by Solvay, which in turn delegated a private consultant.

In the meantime, the news has ignited the hearts of citizens, local committees and environmental associations who have been calling for a stop to production for months:«The resumption of PFAS production at the entire former Solvay plant now Syensqo is very bad news for the environment and local communities, which have already been sacrificed for years to the pollution produced by the Alexandrian chemical hub», he has declared Giuseppe Ungherese, Head of the Greenpeace Italia pollution campaign.Furthermore, Greenpeace has signed a letter intended for the Councilor for Health and the President of the Region Alberto Cirio with the signature also of the Stop Solvay Committee, which reads:«We intend to express our deep concern about the growing evidence regarding the massive PFAS contamination in our territory, a phenomenon that has long put the health of the citizens of the Alessandria area and many areas of the Region at serious risk."All with the requests for a «meeting with the participation of independent experts and citizens and a binding timetable that can be shared transparently with citizens», an «immediate action plan for the remediation of contaminated areas and the protection of public health» and «transparency in the communication of data relating to environmental and food contamination through regular updates by Arpa and ASL accessible to citizens.

[by Roberto Demaio]