PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were detected in 79% of drinking water samples analyzed by Greenpeace Italy as part of the independent investigation "Acqua Senza Velini" ("Water Without Toxins"). The first map of PFAS contamination in drinking water in Italy was presented today in Rome by the environmental organization, which collected samples in 235 communities across all regions and autonomous provinces between September and October 2024. The most prevalent compounds found were the carcinogenic PFOA (47% of samples), the ultra-short-chain compound TFA (in 104 samples, 40% of the total, present in greater quantities in all samples where it was detected), and the possible carcinogen PFOS (58 samples, 22% of the total). The examination of the 260 samples reveals a widespread prevalence of these harmful substances, with at least three positive samples from each region, apart from Valle d'Aosta, where only two samples were collected. There are high levels in Lombardy (for example, almost all of the samples taken in Milan), Piedmont (Turin, Novara, some municipalities in the Alessandria area, and Bussoleno in Valle di Susa), Veneto (including municipalities outside the red area that are already known to be among the most polluted in Europe, like Arzignano, Vicenza, Padua, and Rovigo), Emilia-Romagna (Ferrara, Comacchio, Reggio Emilia), Liguria (Genoa, Rapallo, Imperia), Tuscany (Arezzo, Lucca, Prato), Sardinia (Olbia, Sassari, and Cagliari), and Umbria (Perugia).
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