2023-05-18 11:00:52
After Greenpeace’s investigation into substances used by industry and found in drinking water, here’s what they are and what is the evidence on their health hazards
We perceive risk based on sight, smell and taste, senses that help us when there are perceptible dangers to our health and the environment. There are, however, other chemical threats that we cannot perceive because they are colorless and odorless.
Among these are the Pfas, acronym for PerFluorinated Alkylated Substances, i.e. perfluoroalkyl substances (or perfluoroacrylic acids), widely used by industry for their properties: they are, in fact, repellent to water and oil and highly resistant to chemical and thermal degradation. As anticipated by Corriere della Sera in the article by Silvia Morosi, a new investigation by Greenpeace Italy also showed their presence in the Lombard waters intended for human consumption.
Until now, the best known case of PFAS emergency caused by exposure to contaminated water and food was that of the Veneto region.
They are a family of compounds produced for decades as water and oil repellent substances used in the furniture and clothing industry. Due to their thermal resistance they are also used as components of fire retardant foams.
The Pfas, in a series of scientific studies conducted in Veneto (also coordinated by the World Health Organization), have proved to be hazardous to reproductive healthbut also for their ability to increase the level of cholesterol and increase the risk of some tumors.
May 18, 2023 (change May 18, 2023 | 11:00am)
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