One more death every three days. This is the effect of environmental contamination by PFAS on the population residing in the Venetian 'red zone', 30 municipalities between Veronese, Vicenza and Padua.
The body count 'in excess' in 34 years of exposure to toxic chemicals is reported by a study (Biggeri, Stoppa, Facciolo et al., 2024) published in Environmental Health and carried out by the University of Padua, in collaboration with the Emilia Tumor Registry -Romagna, the Statistical Service of the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), as well as with the contribution of the Venetian ecologist network Mamme No PFAS. (1)
Pollutants forever
The chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) have been widely used since the 50s. Water and fat repellent, they are also used in everyday food items, such as baking paper or fast-food packaging. (2,3)
They are defined as 'forever chemicals' for their persistence in the environment. They also escape conventional wastewater treatment processes.
The discovery of the disaster in Veneto
Their dispersion in surface, groundwater and drinking water supplied by the Central Madonna di Lonigo aqueduct to 30 municipalities in Veneto emerged in 2013, after two years of sampling and analysis by the Water Research Institute of the National Research Council (IRSA-CNR) .
Contamination of water concerns almost all of Italy, as we have seen. (4) The environmental disaster in Veneto is however recognized as the largest PFAS water contamination event reported so far worldwide.
The responsibility of the Miteni factory
The responsability of the poisoning is attributed to a fluorochemical industry in the western Vicenza area, Miteni (formerly Ri.Mar), located in the municipality of Trissino (province of Vicenza). Today it went bankrupt and 15 executives ended up in the docks in a criminal trial that is making headlines across Europe.
The factory produced PFAS from 1966 to 2018. It thus contaminated the entire area downstream of the plant, which is also dedicated to important agri-food production. And it has poisoned the aquifers over an area of 190 km2, involving public aqueducts and private wells in the provinces of Vicenza, Padua and Verona, whose users are estimated at 153.525 inhabitants (as of January 2020).
Exposure and risks
The exposure human to PFAS occurs through:
- consumption of contaminated water or food (including contamination from food packaging)
- use of products made with PFAS
- inhalation of air contaminated with PFAS.
These substances they are generally characterized by bioaccumulation and are not eliminated by the body.
Scientific literature associates exposure to high levels of PFAS with a wide range of health harms:
- decreased fertility in men and women,
- congenital defects,
- developmental delay,
- osteoporosis at a young age,
- damage to the immune system,
- reduced antibody response after vaccination,
- allergies and asthma in children,
- liver disease,
- increased serum cholesterol levels,
- impaired thyroid function,
- insulin resistance,
- gestational diabetes,
- pregnancy-induced hypertension,
- neuroendocrine disorders,
- cancer, risk 'certified' by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in November 2023 for two types of PFAS. (5)
The study on mortality in the 'red zone'
The effects on the health of the population residing in the 30 Venetian municipalities of the 'red zone' heavily polluted by PFAS were measured in the new study by the University of Padua.
Researchers they examined all-cause and cause-specific mortality cases in the population residing in the contaminated area between 1980 and 2018, the latest available update of the statistical data. (6)
The statistical series includes, in the last period, the drastic reduction of human exposure to contaminants through the consumption of drinking water.
Starting with the 2013In fact, when the serious level of water contamination emerged, filtration of drinking water with granular activated carbon began with a substantial reduction of all PFAS. The population has also adopted precautionary measures, such as suspending the consumption of local, zero-mile agri-food products. Measures which, however, do not eliminate prolonged exposure to bioaccumulative toxic substances.
The results
The resultsThe research demonstrates for the first time a greater risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and confirms the higher incidence of kidney and testicular cancer.
'Over the course of 34 years between 1985 (assumed as the start date of water contamination) and 2018 (last year of availability of cause-specific mortality data), in the resident population of the Red area we observed 51.621 deaths against 47.731 expected (...).
We found evidence of an increase in mortality from cardiovascular diseases (in particular, heart disease and ischemic heart disease) and malignant neoplastic diseases, including kidney cancer and testicular cancer,' explain the authors of the study.
Young people most at risk
Through analytics of the different age groups, the study highlighted an increase in the risk of the onset of tumor diseases as age decreases.
The Italian population younger, exposed to PFAS already during childhood, is essentially the one who pays the highest price.
Mothers protected at the expense of their children
Surprisingly, a protective effect was also observed in women of childbearing age. This phenomenon could be attributed to the transfer, already widely documented in scientific literature, of PFAS from maternal blood to the fetus during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as to the consequent decrease in PFAS levels in mothers, which increases as the number of children increases.
What prospects
The 8 March 2024 the new aqueduct that draws 'clean' water from a northern area of Veneto was completed, and the contaminated Almisano groundwater spring was closed.
Like contaminated water remained underground, awaiting reclamation, the consequences of the prolonged exposure of the population also await a saving solution.
Mothers' requests No PFAS
The group of Mothers No PFAS places two urgent requests in this regard:
- start the awaited cohort study, approved by the Veneto Region already in 2016, but never started. The health surveillance plan already launched by the Veneto Region is not enough because it has different methods and objectives',
- to forbid the production of PFAS. 'We ask the Government and Parliament to have courage and adopt zero limits for the presence of all PFAS, not only in water intended for human consumption, but also in industrial waste: this is the only value that allows us to guarantee the right to live in a clean and uncontaminated environment.
Italy, theater of the largest contamination in Europe, which affected three provinces of the Veneto Region, requires an urgent moratorium on PFAS, which not only eliminates their presence in wastewater, but which also introduces a ban on their production and use in all industrial sectors'. (7)
Marta Strinati and Ylenia Patti Giammello
Cover image from https://chemtrust.org/news/pfas-health-resources/
Footnotes
(1) Biggeri, A., Stoppa, G., Facciolo, L. et al. All-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality in the population of a large Italian area contaminated by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (1980–2018). Environmental Health 23 (42). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-024-01074-2
(2) Marta Strinati. PFAS, the toxic chemicals in fast-food containers and tableware. IPEN investigation. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 19.12.23
(3) Marta Strinati. PFAS and other toxic chemicals in baking paper and 'eco' disposable tableware sold in Italy. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 25.4.24
(4) Marta Strinati. PFAS in waters of 16 regions. Emergency in Veneto. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.5.24
(5) Marta Singed. PFAS substances are carcinogenic, IARC confirms. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.12.23 https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sicurezza/le-sostanze-pfas-sono-cancerogene-la-conferma-di-iarc/
(6) A digital navigable map of contamination, created on Arpa Veneto data, is available at this link https://pfas.land/2019/04/10/12-aprile-2019-il-gis-di-pfas-land-la-prima-mappa-digitale-navigabile-sui-pfas-uno-straordinario-strumento-popolare-per-capire-quanto-siamo-inquinati-attingendo-ai-dati-dellarpav/
There are 30 municipalities in the Red Area. Red Area A includes the municipalities of Alonte (Vicenza, VI), Asigliano Veneto (VI), Brendola (VI), Lonigo (VI), Sarego (VI), Noventa Vicentina (VI ), Orgiano (VI), Pojana Maggiore (VI), Montagnana (Padua, PD), Cologna Veneta (Verona, VR), Pressana (VR), Roveredo di Guà (VR), and Zimella (VR). The municipalities located in the Red B zone are Urbana (PD), Albaredo d'Adige (VR), Arcole (VR), Bevilacqua (VR), Bonavigo (VR), Boschi Sant'Anna (VR), Legnago (VR), Minerbe (VR), Terrazzo (VR), and Veronella (VR). The Red B zone also includes parts of the municipalities of Agugliaro (VI), Val Liona (VI), Borgo Veneto (PD), Casale di Scodosia (PD), Lozzo Atestino (PD), Megliadino San Vitale (PD), and Merlara ( PD).
(7) PFAS: almost 4 thousand more deaths in 34 years in the Red Area. For the first time, an association between exposure to PFAS and mortality from cardiovascular diseases has been demonstrated. Moms No Pfas. Press release 6.5.24 https://www.mammenopfas.org/home
A professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic studies on food and has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Laboratory technician, passionate about the production and distribution of food products, consumer information and culinary art.
