How PFAS pollution
affects people’s health
across Europe

Fire-fighting foam from a military airport contaminated the drinking water and blood of local residents with several PFAS.

Location:

The Bredåkra delta in the municipality of Ronneby, Blekinge County, Sweden.

Source of contamination:

Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) containing PFAS was used for firefighting beginning in the 1980s at a military airport approximately 2 kilometers from the waterworks wells. Reportedly, the PFAS leaked from the site into the soil, eventually reaching the groundwater.

Scope of impact:

The municipal waterworks, Brantafors (one of two in the area), serves approximately 5,000 people.

PFAS in the environment:

The first indication of the presence of PFAS in Ronneby came from the County Administrative Board’s 2013 environmental monitoring samples.

PFAS contamination (a sum of PFAS levels above 10,000 nanograms per litre, or ng/L) was confirmed in the water being supplied from Brantafors. Levels of PFHxS, PFOA and PFOS – all members of the wider PFAS chemical family – were up to 100–300 times higher than in the neighbouring municipality Kärragården.

In 2016, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency reported roughly 6,000 surface and groundwater measurements (based on existing data or new measurements) across the county and identified over 2000 known or potential local sources of PFAS.

PFAS in humans:

In a study conducted in 2021, 3,297 Ronneby residents and 226 non-residents were examined. The serum levels of PFHxS, PFOS and PFOA among residents were 114, 135 and 6.8 ng/mL respectively. These levels were found to be 135 times higher for PFHxS, 35 times higher for PFOS, and 4.5 times higher for PFOA.

Research in Ronneby has also shown evidence of a causal association between PFAS and serum lipids (e.g. a clinically relevant increase of 7–9% in total cholesterol and LDL levels in the PFAS-contaminated area), and increased incidence of polycystic ovary syndrome among women who lived in areas in Ronneby with contaminated drinking water.

In another study comparing PFAS levels among school children who had been drinking the contaminated water with those who had not, it was discovered that the children exposed to contamination exhibited 20–50 times higher levels of different PFAS substances, particularly PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS.

In May 2021, researchers reported a potential link between high PFAS exposure and susceptibility to COVID-19 among residents of Ronneby. The Armed Forces have investigated how their employees were affected, but the investigation has not been published.

Response to contamination:

When the contamination was detected in 2013, the Brantafors waterworks were closed immediately and drinking water was distributed to approximately one third of the households in Ronneby. In 2014, Sweden set its first action limits for PFAS in drinking water, with levels of 90 ng/L for the sum of seven PFAS chemicals (PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFOS) and biomonitoring began. In 2015, new pipes were built to provide Brantafors with uncontaminated water from Karlsnäs. The Swedish government began nationwide drinking water monitoring and biomonitoring in Ronneby and other municipalities with military or civil airports nearby.

The Armed Forces admitted responsibility for the contamination in 2015 but refused to pay compensation to those affected, arguing  that there is no connection between the contamination and health issues. In June 2020, the Armed Forces stated that they ‘cannot clean up PFAS-contaminated areas’ as there is ‘neither money nor efficient technology’ available.

In 2021, in response to a civil suit by 160 residents (led by PFAS Föreningen which translates to ‘the PFAS Association’), the District Court ruled that the Ronneby municipality water company (Ronneby Miljöteknik) must compensate plaintiffs for personal injury based on elevated PFAS levels in blood. The municipality has appealed the verdict.

In late 2022, the Court of Appeal issued a ruling contradicting that of the District Court: it found that the residents failed to prove that they suffered damage from drinking contaminated water, denying them compensation by the municipality water company. The ruling also stated that the high levels of PFAS cannot be considered a personal injury.

Residents then turned to the Swedish Supreme Court to seek justice. In December 2023, the Supreme Court sided with the residents, and the Ronneby municipality was ordered to compensate the plaintiffs.

Active civil society groups:

The PFAS Association (PFAS Föreningen) was formed by affected residents of the locality of Kallinge to hold responsible parties legally accountable.

Relevant dates:

• Between 1980 and 2011, a type of fire-fighting foam called aqueous film forming foam (AFFFs) containing PFAS were used at a military airport 2 km from the municipal waterworks at Brantafors.
• In December 2013, PFAS contamination was discovered and the waterworks were immediately closed.
• In spring 2014, environmental and human blood testing began and action levels for PFAS in drinking water were set.
• In summer 2015, new temporary pipes were built to deliver water to Brantafors.
• In August 2015, the PFAS Association (PFAS Föreningen), newly formed by affected residents, launched legal action against the Ronneby municipality.
• In April 2021, the residents won a civil court case in the District Court, whereby the Ronneby municipality must compensate plaintiffs based on elevated blood levels of PFAS.
• In December 2022, the Court of Appeal overturned the verdict of the District Court, arguing that the risk of future health impacts does not constitute a personal injury.
• In December 2023, the Supreme Court sided with the residents, ruling that they have suffered personal injury in the face of law and are thus eligible for compensation.

Relevant links:

• Website (available in English and Swedish), Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds from PFAS Föreningen, a group of affected residents from the Kallinge community.
• Questions and answers about PFAS from the city of Ronneby.
• Maps indicating drinking water quality in the Ronneby area
• Updated list of relevant events and decisions (in Swedish)
• Recent Chemsec analysis of the case, including legal considerations.
• The Swedish Water and Waste Management Association is very active on PFAS and offers useful resources (in Swedish and English) on national and regional PFAS contamination cases.
• Swedish Chemicals Agency page on PFAS
• Swedish Environmental Protection Agency articles on PFAS

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Over 200,000 people living in the “Chemical Valley”, recognised as France’s most PFAS-polluted site to date, may have been exposed to harmful forever chemicals.

Location:

France’s “Chemical Valley”, located south of the city of Lyon.

Source of contamination:

The industrial site of Pierre-Bénite in the so-called ‘Chemical Valley’ consists of plants belonging to several chemical manufacturers, including Arkema and Daikin Chemicals, both involved in the production of PFAS. Arkema has been producing PFAS chemicals on the site for over 65 years (since 1957). Two types of PFAS, 6:2FTS and PFHxA, are still being produced today, according to publicly available information.

Scope of impact:

Over 200,000 people in the area may have been affected by PFAS pollution, according to the French NGO Notre Affaire à Tous and the lawyer representing the affected communities. According to the Forever Pollution Project, the site is considered to be the most PFAS-contaminated site in France to date.

PFAS in the environment:

In December 2022, a report from the French General Inspectorate for the Environment and Sustainable Development revealed that 3.5 tonnes of PFAS were released into the Rhône river every year since at least 2011. This practice continued until Arkema introduced new filtration methods in November 2022 following official measures taken after the case reached public awareness through a media investigation earlier that year.

According to the Forever Pollution project, the PFAS level in a surface water sample from the same year was measured at 273,992 ng/L – alarmingly higher than the 100,00 ng/L level that experts consider hazardous for health.

These massive PFAS discharges have caused serious pollution in the area. Samples taken from water, air, soil, taps, and chicken eggs reveal abnormally high levels of PFAS, particularly in the vicinity of the Pierre-Bénite industrial site.

For example, the eggs of a chicken owned by a family involved in an ongoing legal action against Arkema showed a level of 28.3 μg/kg/day of four PFAS tested, instead of the 1.7 μg/kg/day recommended by the regional health agency.

An analysis commissioned by the regional department for environment, planning and housing (DREAL) also found PFAS levels of up to 110μg/kg in fish caught near the Pierre-Bénite plant.

Furthermore, PFAS concentrations of up to 197 ng/L – almost double the 100 ng/L level considered hazardous for health – were found in drinking water samples taken by the regional health agency in communes to the south of Lyon.

Early 2023, the local government recommended that people no longer consume eggs or poultry from the area, or fish caught in the Rhône river downstream of Pierre-Bénite.

PFAS in humans:

Biomonitoring tests conducted in 2021 in the context of a media investigation found high levels of PFAS in the blood and breast milk of people living in the contaminated area. People in the area are still facing health issues like thyroid disorders, leading to questions on whether these problems are linked to their exposure to PFAS chemicals. According to Notre Affaire à Tous, a child under the age of two underwent surgery for a testicular tumour, a cancer independent scientific research has associated with PFAS exposure.

Response to contamination:

France’s Chemical Valley reached public awareness after the French documentary series Vert de Rage investigated PFAS pollution in the area and broadcasted their findings in May 2022.

In September 2022, the local government requested ARKEMA, one of the PFAS producers in the Chemical Valley, to cease using PFAS substances in its manufacturing processes by December 31, 2024 at the latest. Arkema’s measured discharges of PFAS have since then fallen sharply thanks to filtration practices that were implemented from November 2022 onwards, proving that they had the technical ability to do so all along.

In December 2022, a report published by the French Environment and Sustainable Development Inspectorate showed PFAS discharges in the area were “considerable”. A few months later, the local authorities of the Lyon agglomeration launched a strategy to evaluate PFAS pollution in the region, and announced it will be funding a study on the presence of PFAS in and around the Arkema factory site.

With the study underway, legal proceedings were launched against Arkema by 10 environmental NGOs and 37 victims in May 2023. After new plaintiffs joined the case in July 2023, the number of involved NGOs rose to 11, and that of victims to 47 (out of which 16 are children).

The victims demand an immediate reduction of PFAS discharges to water flows to 1kg/month from the current discharge levels of 10kg/month (March 2023) within six months. In addition, they call for PFAS measuring campaigns that include medical monitoring and blood tests (for victims, Arkema’s staff and the surrounding communities) and environmental sampling (of soil, breastmilk, air, water, food products and flora and fauna). In line with the polluter-pays principle, they ask that these studies be funded by Arkema itself. Finally, the victims and NGOs demand that a comprehensive health risk assessment is carried out by an independent research centre without relations to Arkema and that has recognised expertise in PFAS.

Active civil society groups:

The French association Notre Affaire à Tous, which works to achieve climate and environmental justice through legal action, started work in the Chemical Valley in 2019 The team started by studying the companies’ violations of  legal obligations, and had a case ready for 31 May 2022 – three weeks after the Vert de Rage documentary came out. Since then, the work of Notre Affaire à Tous (together with its local branch Notre Affaire à Tous Lyon) in the Chemical Valley has focused entirely on PFAS. The case of May 2022 seeks to defend victims against Arkema.

Notre Affaire à Tous is supported by nine other environmental and local groups in France:

– AGRIBIO Rhône & Loire
– Alternatiba Rhône
– Réseau AMAP Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
– Bien vivre à Pierre-Bénite
– La Fédération Syndicale Unitaire
– La Ruche de l’écologie
– Les Amis de l’Ile de la Table-Ronde
– Le Réseau Environnement Santé (RES)
– Sauvegarde des Coteaux du Lyonnais Intercommunale

The local branch of the French civil society organisation Générations Futures in Lyon collaborated with French TV on several documentaries highlighting cases of  PFAS pollution around Pierre Bénite. Générations Futures also published a report on the massive PFAS contamination of the Chemical Valley, and has kept active on the case by organising demonstrations against PFAS and giving presentations at universities.

Relevant dates:

The chemical manufacturer ARKEMA started producing PFAS in the region in 1957.

Findings of the research on industrial activities in the area were first presented to the public by the Vert de Rage documentary over 60 years later, on 10 May 2022. Later that month, the regional Prefect (the regional representative for the government) signed two orders prescribing enhanced monitoring of PFAS discharges from two chemical manufacturers active in the Chemical Valley (Arkema and Daikin).

The first interim criminal environmental proceedings against ARKEMA were launched on 31 May 2022.

In September 2022, on the basis of the results of the enhanced monitoring, ARKEMA was ordered to stop PFAS use in the region (prefectural decree). It then installed filtration systems in November 2022, leading to a decrease in the discharge of the PFAS chemical 6:2 FTS.

In December 2022, the French Environment and Sustainable Development Inspectorate published a report according to which PFAS discharges in the area were “considerable”.

In March 2023, the local authorities launched a strategy to tackle PFAS pollution, and announced it will be funding a study to examine the presence of such chemicals in the area.

On 31 May 2023, interim emergency proceedings were brought against ARKEMA by 10 NGOs and 37 victims of pollution, led by Notre Affaire à Tous. New plaintiffs (one additional NGO and 10 more victims) joined the fight in July 2023.

In November, 2023, despite the encouraging observations of the prosecutor, the Lyon judicial court dismissed the case. The plaintiffs are in the process of appealing the decision.

Relevant links:

• Notre Affaire à Tous website on the Chemical Valley – News and other information
• Notre Affaire à Tous 2023 Press Release – Outlines the background and most recent developments of the legal case
• Webpage dedicated to the South of Lyon case by the French General Inspectorate for the Environment and Sustainable Development
  • 12 questions – main questions on the case
  • Study of PFAS use in Pierre Bénite
• Up-to-date media coverage of the local situation by public TV channel France 3

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A fire-fighting training facility contaminated farming land and cattle with PFOS and PFHxS.

Location:

Korsør is a town in Zealand, Denmark, located in the Slagelse municipality.

Source of contamination:

As part of an EU project, wastewater testing for medicines and pesticides was conducted and revealed high levels of PFAS (mainly PFOS and PFHxS) which were sourced to a fire fighting training facility in Korsør.

Scope of impact:

A local cow grazer’s association (Korsør kogræsser og naturplejeforening) of approximately 200 members was the focus of biomonitoring.

PFAS in the environment:

PFOS was found near the firefighting training facility in a drainage channel (up to 9000 ng/l), the surrounding grass (up to 165 ng/g) and soil. By removing sludge from the ditch, the soil concentration has been reduced from 6.1 ug/kg to 2.7 µg/kg soil. PFOS were also found in grazer cattle (veal) that graze in the area and drink from the stream. Monitoring of fish from Korsør Nor (a saltwater lake) did not show levels of concern, nor did tests of several crops in a nearby allotment garden. No pollution of drinking water has been found.

PFAS in humans:

In a human biomonitoring study primarily of members of the cow grazer association (approximately 200), PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA were assessed (after being detected in the meat and small pilot study). In addition, liver-enzymes, kidney function, long-term blood sugar, cholesterol/lipid, and thyroid hormones were measured. Approximately two-thirds of the participants had elevated levels of PFOS (up to 553 ng/ml) and PFHxS (up to 38 ng/ml) compared to the Danish normal range. Associations with health outcomes have yet to be published. A medical trial of 60 participants has begun to attempt elimination of PFOS from the body using oral anion exchange.

Response to contamination:

In 2006, Denmark began phasing out PFOS in firefighting foam, although residual stocks were still legal to use until 2011. PFAS contamination was discovered in late 2020 and in early 2021 local authorities conducted environmental testing and a biomonitoring study was launched. Political attention was high at all levels from the minister to local authorities, and included the issuing of stricter water quality requirements for PFAS. Veterinary authorities advised people not to consume meat from contaminated cattle and many if not all cattle were slaughtered. The Danish Department of Occupational, Environmental and Social Medicine prioritised delivering results to biomonitoring participants and providing support (e.g. interpreting results, counseling, informational meetings, dietary recommendations). General practitioners in Korsør were informed on how to handle worried residents. The Danish regions began mapping and testing potentially contaminated areas in Denmark, including all fire fighting facilities. A requirement for water suppliers to screen for PFAS was also put into place.

Active civil society groups:

The cow grazers’ association has been actively involved and is working on a compensation case (no information available online).

Relevant dates:

In late 2020, PFAS were discovered in wastewater. In early 2021, the local municipality traced the contamination to fire extinguishing foam used at a nearby firefighter training facility. Further investigation revealed pollution of a nearby meadow grazed by cows from the local cow grazer association. Also in 2021, high concentrations of PFOS were discovered in the meat. In spring 2021, the Regional Clinic of Occupational and Environmental Medicine created a task force to advise local citizens, and blood samples were taken from members of the cow grazer association. In 2022, the Danish Health Authority published a report about the health effects of PFAS, and a guide for general practitioners and citizens. In December 2022, authorities signed an agreement to open a new centre in Korsør to test new methods and technologies that can clean water and soil of PFAS.

Relevant links:

• Information on the contamination in Korsør from the Slagelse municipality.
• The Danish Health Authority’s information for general practitioners and citizens on PFAS contamination.

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Dupont/Chemours contaminated the air and water of 750,000 people with PFOA and GenX.

Location:

The municipality of Dordrecht is located in the Western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland.

Source of contamination:

A Dupont plant (later named Chemours) made PFOA for the production of Teflon and other products, starting in the 1970s until around 2012. The company replaced PFOA with GenX in 2012. The Dordrecht plant is Chemours’ biggest production site in Europe, with over 550 employees.

Scope of impact:

It is estimated that 750,000 people were exposed to high levels of PFOA from the Dordrecht plant.

PFAS in the environment:

PFAS from the chemical plant are discharged into the sewer system and, not being removed by wastewater treatment, they end up in the Lower Merwede River as well as downstream rivers that act as drinking water resources. PFAS are also released into the air via the factory’s chimneys. In 2018, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) performed a risk assessment of GenX and PFOA which led to an advisory not to eat vegetables grown in gardens within one kilometre of the factory. RIVM found the levels of PFOA in Dordrecht’s drinking water to have been lower than in a comparison case in the US. However, concentrations in the atmosphere between 1970 and 2012 had exceeded the legal amount. Risk limit values for soil and groundwater were adapted in 2021.

PFAS in humans:

According to RIVM, 750,000 people were exposed to high levels of PFOA due to residing close to the Dordrecht plant and the Merwede river downstream. Residents face exposure from the air as well as drinking water. Blood tests conducted in 2017 on 382 residents showed that those in the immediate vicinity of the factory have probably been exposed to high levels of PFOA, some above the limit value of 89 ng/ml considered safe by RIVM. In 2021, RIVM found that the PFAS exposure of Dutch people through food and water is too high and, among other measures, recommended not to eat vegetables or fruit coming from vegetable gardens within a radius of 1 kilometre from the Chemours factory.

Response to contamination:

A 2015 investigation by Follow the Money prompted parliamentary questions on the issue. In 2018, RIVM performed a risk assessment of GenX and PFOA in vegetable garden crops and issued an advisory to limit intake of garden vegetables grown within one kilometer of the Dordrecht plants. This was later revised to not to eat such foods at all. The Dutch government has required Chemours to reduce GenX emissions from 6,400 kg/year to 2,000 kg/year. Chemours planned to reduce GenX emissions by 99 percent by the end of 2020 and the emissions of other fluorinated substances by 80 percent by 2023. It is unclear how close Chemours has come to meeting these deadlines in Dordrecht.

Active civil society groups:

We could not find information on any structured civil society groups addressing the matter in Dordrecht, despite regular citizens’ mobilisations around the industrial site. However, it is worth highlighting the following: the investigation work of the journalistic platform Follow the Money was instrumental in bringing the PFAS pollution issue to the public and policy light. Citizens concerned about the risks of GenX have been offering an informal platform for information sharing via social media. And the Burenraad is a council of people from Dordrecht, Sliedrecht and Papendrecht, who engage in communication with the company in the aim of collecting information and distributing it to citizens.

Relevant dates:

From the 1970s to present day, Dupont/Chemours produced PFAS at their Dordrecht plant. A 2015 report by Follow the Money prompted a parliamentary enquiry. In 2016, the Dutch government asked RIVM to evaluate the existing knowledge of the toxicity and health effects of PFOA. In 2017 blood testing was conducted. Also in 2017, Chemours was required to make a plan to reduce GenX emissions. In 2018, RIVM issued an advisory about consuming vegetables in locally grown gardens.

Relevant links:

• Citizens concerned about the risks of GenX have been offering an informal platform for information sharing via social media groups like ‘Stop met het lozen van GenX in ons water’ and ‘Actiegroep Gezondheid Vóór Alles’.
• General information, research, and advisories from the city of Dordrecht and RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, which has a dedicated section for PFAS, providing a recap of their research and recommendations.
• Follow the Money, a platform for investigative journalists, has been reporting on the issue since 2015 (available by subscription). Their first report was instrumental in triggering debates at the national parliament (see parliamentary questions and responses here and here).

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3M contaminated the air, soil, and blood of people living near the chemical plant with PFOS.

Location:

The municipality of Zwijndrecht in the Flemish province of Antwerp, Belgium.

Source of contamination:

The 3M factory in Antwerp produced large amounts of PFOS until 2002, when it shifted to production of other PFAS.

Scope of impact:

The area around the 3M factory was divided into three zones to indicate potential levels of PFAS exposure and where ‘no regret’ measures apply.

PFAS in the environment:

As early as 2001, 3M measured PFOS levels up to 257,000 micrograms per liter in groundwater around the factory (thousands of times over the norm) but the waste management agency determined no remediation was needed despite high detected levels. Between 2016-2022, Lantis, a company working on the Oosterweel project, found 60% of soil samples from 781 locations around the 3M plant were contaminated with PFOS above the level Flemish authorities deemed safe (sometimes 100 times higher). Very low levels have been found in drinking water and it is not considered a main source of exposure. In 2021 a large investigation of environmental PFAS contamination in 200 locations across Flanders began and several reports have been issued.

PFAS in humans:

In 2021, the Flemish Care and Health Agency found excessive PFOS levels (above the ‘HBM-II’ value at which, according to the German Environmental Agency, adverse long-term health effects are possible) in the blood of more than half of the 800 citizens tested, all of whom lived within 3 kilometres of the site. Of the 13 PFAS tested, residents mainly had PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA and PFNA in their blood. A research study indicated that PFAS exposure from home produced eggs, as few as two per week in the most highly contaminated area, is a potential risk to human health. A large biomonitoring campaign was started in 2022 for nearly 100,000 eligible residents.

Response to contamination:

The late and questionable handling of the contamination by the regional authorities has triggered serious political turmoil and a parliamentary investigation. It was only in 2020, in the context of the development of a giant infrastructure around Antwerp (the Oosterweel Link) and questions raised about the discharge of surplus soil, that the PFAS contamination emerged – mostly thanks to the work of local activists. In 2021, the Flemish government ordered the temporary shut down of the PFAS production plant and advised that vulnerable groups within a radius of 3 kilometres no longer eat home-grown vegetables.

In 2022, 3M was found responsible for the contamination of the air, soil and blood of people in proximity to its site in Zwijndrecht. The company must pay €571 million in remedial actions to reduce the risk of PFAS contamination, as well as publish online reports and hold public meetings to explain how it is committing to the agreement. Local mobilisation and public outcry prompted a large biomonitoring campaign that began in 2022.

In December 2022, 3M announced that it will stop all PFAS manufacturing by 2025, which suggests that PFAS will no longer be produced by this date in Belgium. However, details on the implications for Antwerp were not available at the time of writing (March 2023).

Active civil society groups:

Grondrecht is a collective of concerned citizens that formed to address the 3M PFAS contamination in Antwerp. Their activities have included PFAS testing and legal actions. A local ‘PFAS coalition’ has been formed bringing together Grondrecht, Greenpeace Belgium and other activists, including Thomas Goorden.

Relevant dates:

In 2002, 3M discontinued production of PFOS but not other PFAS. In 2017, while excavating for the Oosterweel project, the company Lantis reported PFOS contamination to Flemish authorities, but no protective measures were taken. In 2021, Zwijndrecht began a judicial investigation; the same year Grondrecht together with Greenpeace Belgium and Thomas Goorden initiated a court case against Lantis and 3M. In 2022, a remediation agreement between the Flemish Environment Ministry and 3M was announced, after the parliamentary enquiry found the company to be responsible for the contamination of the air, soil and blood of people in proximity to its site. It must pay €571 million in remedial actions (including sanitizing the area around the factory, compensating local residents and farmers, and covering medical costs). Water contamination was also confirmed in 2022 and the Flemish government commissioned a biomonitoring project in Antwerp, inviting nearly 100,000 residents to register.

Relevant links:

• Bloomberg feature article with the history and status in 2022 with illustrated maps and figures.
• Map of ‘no regret’ zones.
• Registration for the Antwerp biomonitoring study will be open to participants until 1 June 2023.
• Biomonitoring Report from the Flemish Care and Health Agency.
• Summary and Technical-Scientific Report of the population survey on PFAS among residents of the 3M site in Zwijndrecht (in Dutch).
• Reports from Flanders investigation of environmental contamination and recommended actions (‘no regret’ measures) by municipality.
• List of remediation measures and costs required to be paid by 3M.

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The Miteni chemical plant contaminated the drinking water of over 350,000 residents with PFOA.

Location:

The Veneto region, including the municipalities of Vicenza, Padua, Verona, Brendola, Lonigo, Sarego and at least 15 others.

Source of contamination:

In 1988, Rimar Chimica Spa which had been making PFAS since the mid 1960s, became Miteni. Miteni was reportedly aware of the soil and groundwater pollution as early as 1990 but never informed the authorities, despite legal obligations to do so. The Miteni Chemical Company proceeded to release wastewater that contaminated a creek and the surrounding groundwater as well as a canal that drained into the surface waters of the Brenta river. In addition to PFOA and other PFAS coming from the plant, Miteni also received processing waste from a factory in the Netherlands which was found to be contaminating the Veneto region with the PFAS GenX and C6O4.

Scope of impact:

Over 350,000 residents in Veneto are estimated to have been exposed to the contamination through tap water. Twenty-one municipalities were labeled as the ‘Red Zone’ due to exceedingly high levels of PFOA.

PFAS in the environment:

Many different PFAS have been detected in waters in the Veneto region. PFAS levels in surface water and drinking water were reported by the Italian National Research Council in 2013. Concentrations of PFOA were found to be between 230 and 3,600 times the usual level. In addition, higher than normal concentrations were confirmed in a follow-up study by the Veneto regional government in 2015. The highest combined concentration levels of PFAS (estimated to be 1214 ng/l) were found in the municipalities of Brendola, Lonigo and Sarego. Preliminary evaluation of local food products revealed contamination in some categories, such as eggs from locally bred hens and fish from contaminated rivers.

PFAS in humans:

In a biomonitoring study of 18,122 exposed residents, PFOA showed the highest levels (max 1,400 ng/ml) followed by PFOS and PFHxS. Men had much higher levels than women. The more babies a woman delivered, the lower her PFAS concentrations (PFAS are known to be excreted and passed on through menstruation, pregnancy, delivery, and lactation). Growing vegetables and raising animals for personal consumption were also associated with PFAS levels. In a study of mortality causes, significant risk was shown for diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases, myocardial infarction and Alzheimer’s disease. In women, risks were also observed for kidney and breast cancer, and Parkinson’s disease. In a study of employees at the chemical plant, higher rates of mortality and disease (liver, bladder and kidney cancer and cirrhosis) were found. A separate study showed a higher mortality risk for COVID-19 among residents of the Red Zone (those closest to the chemical factory). Negative psychosocial impacts on local residents have also been shown, including stress due to pervasive uncertainty about health effects, particularly among families with children.

Response to contamination:

In 2013, the Italian National Research Council published a study accusing Miteni of polluting local waters. Following pressure from local civil society groups, the regional authorities installed filters for drinking water early in 2014. A Health Impact Assessment was initiated involving national and regional agencies to identify mitigation and remediation measures targeting water, soil, air, food, and human blood. A state of emergency was declared in 2018, the same year the company declared bankruptcy and closed. Ongoing court cases have led to at least 15 company managers being charged with offenses. In 2022 a new aqueduct was finally connected to bring clean water to affected citizens.

Active civil society groups:

Response to the contamination was due in large part to the efforts of the civil society group Mamme No PFAS, whose website provides a recap of the history of the Veneto case. Later Greenpeace joined the effort, which included a drinking water petition, a report on the quality of drinking water in primary schools in the Veneto region, and an investigation of PFAS waste from the Netherlands.

Relevant dates:

PFAS production began in the mid 1960s. Contamination was made public in 2013 when the National Research Council released a report on the situation. A comprehensive Health Impact Assessment is ongoing. A state of emergency was declared in 2018, the same year the company declared bankruptcy and closed. In 2022 a new aqueduct was finally connected to bring uncontaminated water to the area.

Relevant links:

• Mamme No PFAS history of the case (in Italian) – the rest of the website provides in-depth information about the group’s activities to demand justice and remediation over the years.
• Presentation by Dr. Laura Facciolo from Mamme No PFAS, during the 2019 Second National Conference on PFAS in Boston.
• World Health Organization report: Keeping our water clean: the case of water contamination in the Veneto Region, Italy.
• Greenpeace report (in Italian) denouncing the response from local authorities.
• Health Surveillance Program description and early results.
• New study on COVID mortality.

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