PFAS in waters, in Piedmont exposed in the Prosecutor's Office:“The Region hides health risks”

After having conducted an investigation that shed light on the presence of PFAS - poly and perfluoroalkyl substances - in the drinking water of dozens of municipalities throughout Piedmont, in recent days the Greenpeace Italia association has officially presented four complaints to the Turin Prosecutor's Office, Ivrea, Alessandria and Novara, asking the judiciary to take "all the necessary precautionary measures" in order to "prevent the continued administration of waters containing PFAS”.In the complaint, Greenpeace urged the magistrates to ascertain whether, considering the state of permanent pollution of the areas in question, "the conditions exist to hypothesize crimes of environmental or unnamed disaster", as well as "omission of official acts resulting in failure to comply with the legislation on access to documents".Despite the insight that emerged from the Greenpeace investigation, in recent days the Health Councilor Luigi Icardi has tried to reassure citizens regarding the safety of drinking water, closing off the possibility of starting water monitoring in Piedmont.

In its report, Greenpeace had used 671 samples of drinking water, analyzed between 2019 and 2023, in which it was found the presence of PFAS in 51% of cases.The association had recorded a higher concentration of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid belonging to the PFAS, which recent studies have classified as carcinogenic to humans) in province of Alexandria, certifying that in 5 municipalities in the area - Alzano Scrivia, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Molino dei Torti, Guazzora and Tortona - there was contamination in all 24 samples collected over the years, while in the city of Turin the presence of PFAS was found in 77 of the 291 municipalities, with 45% of samples positive.Greenpeace had also collected 15 samples in other municipalities in the Piedmont provinces at "sensitive places" such as fountains and parks, recording the presence of PFAS in 5 cases and, in one case - that of the municipality of Galliate in the province of Novara -, also of PFOS , a molecule from the PFAS group classified as a possible carcinogen.

One of the complaints presented by Greenpeace concerns the work of the Piedmont Region.The association complains in fact, after having submitted a request to be able to view the results of the checks on the presence of PFAS in drinking water, the Region responded through a letter formally drawn up by the Environmental Services Sector that "the information requested they are not in the possession of the Piedmont Region”, inviting you to ask the managers for the data.“There are two possible explanations – replied Greenpeace in a note -.Either the highest regional body in environmental and health matters is not aware of the work of its technical bodies (ARPA and ASL Alessandria), or the Region has not respected the current legislation on access to documents, thus making himself responsible for the crime referred to in the art.328 of the penal code".Greenpeace also asks the prosecutors to investigate the reasons why, so far, "those who should guarantee the safety of citizens have limited themselves to trying to downplay the problem, claiming that the values ​​we have detected are normal".In mid-February, following the release of the Greenpeace report, the regional health councilor, Luigi Icardi, in fact declared that «the perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water of the Piedmontese aqueducts are found to be at levels significantly lower than the limits established by law» and that «the analyzed water respects the drinkability and no immediate health risks are hypothesized».«It is unlikely – he concluded – that additional control obligations on water will be introduced».

«Our reports confirm how the PFAS situation in Piedmont is out of control – ha explained on the other hand Giuseppe Ungherese, head of the Greenpeace Italia pollution campaign -.The Region, the highest health body, seems not to be aware of the work of its agencies he is guilty of a crime for not responding to Greenpeace's requests.In the Alessandria area, public bodies have allowed the supply of contaminated water for years and only took action after the involvement of Greenpeace and only in some municipalities.All this is unacceptable."“PFAS have so far been found in the drinking water of several municipalities in Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont.But because of their persistence, with PFAS pollution no one can consider themselves safe – Greenpeace wrote again in the press release in which it announced the presentation of the complaints –.This is why we ask our government, parliament and the competent ministries to pass a measure that prohibits the use and production of PFAS throughout Italy."

At the end of last year, a team of thirty scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) shed light on the link between exposure to PFAS and the onset of cancer in research carried out for the journal The Lancet Oncology.Based on “sufficient evidence of cancer in animal experiments and strong mechanistic evidence in exposed humans,” the researchers have sanctioned that PFOAs are “carcinogenic to humans”, stating that they must be included in group 1 of substances that can cause cancer;PFOS, however, have been included in group 2B (to which PFOA previously belonged), as "possibly carcinogenic”.

[by Stefano Baudino]