Earth Science News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Verdict expected in Italy 'forever chemicals' trial
Verdict expected in Italy 'forever chemicals' trial
by AFP Staff Writers
Rome (AFP) June 26, 2025

A verdict is expected Thursday in the trial of 15 managers of a chemical plant accused of knowingly contaminating the water of hundreds of thousands of people in Italy.

The now-shuttered Miteni factory near the northeastern city of Vicenza is alleged to have polluted one of Europe's largest groundwater basins with PFAS, dubbed "forever chemicals" because they never break down.

The prosecution alleges that the plant in Trissino, which produced PFAS from 1968 and was run by three companies until its closure due to bankruptcy in 2018, leaked chemical-laced wastewater into a waterway, polluting a vast area between Vicenza, Verona and Padova.

Fifteen managers from Mitsubishi, International Chemical Investors (ICIG) and Miteni are charged with contaminating nearly 200 square kilometres (77 square miles) of drinking water, as well as soil.

Prosecutors in the trial, which began in 2021, have called for the managers to be sentenced to a total of 121 years in jail, lawyer Edoardo Bortolotto told AFP Thursday.

Over 200 civil plaintiffs have joined the trial, including Greenpeace and local mothers who united after discovering their families had the chemicals in their blood.

PFAS have been used since the late 1940s to mass produce the nonstick, waterproof and stain-resistant treatments that coat everything from frying pans to umbrellas, carpets and dental floss.

But chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birthweights and several kinds of cancer.

The contamination was discovered in 2013 after Italy's environment ministry ordered tests of the Po River following a 2006 European project assessing exposure to such chemicals in rivers.

Of all the rivers studied, the Po had the highest concentrations of one specific PFAS called PFOA, a known carcinogen. Further investigation identified Miteni as the source.

At the time, there were no Italian or EU thresholds for PFAS content in drinking water, according to a regional report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
France ordered to compensate family of jogger killed by toxic algae
Rennes, France (AFP) June 24, 2025
A French court on Tuesday ordered the state to compensate the family of a 50-year-old man who died in 2016 during a run after inhaling poisonous gas emitted by rotting green algae piled along the country's western coast. The Nantes appeals court found France liable for the death of Jean-Rene Auffray, citing its "negligence" in enforcing environmental regulations to protect its waters and prevent toxic green algae blooms. For more than five decades, tons of green algae have washed up annually on ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Cold baths, climate shelters as Southern Europe heatwave intensifies

At least 10 dead in Colombia landslide

Storm-plagued Mexico faces the music as warming continues apace

Israel says WHO 'selective silence' deafening after hospital hit in Iranian strike

FROTH AND BUBBLE
US judge sides with Meta in AI training copyright case

EU proposes space laws to reduce orbital junk and boost industry

Redwire finalizes Hammerhead satellite integration for ESA ALTIUS mission

Toxic legacies of mining scar South Africa's Soweto and contaminate Thai rivers from Myanmar operations

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Nearly one-third of Pacific nation Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa

India will 'never' restore Pakistan water treaty: minister

Water levels plummet at drought-hit Iraqi reservoir

Cook Islands PM says China deals do not 'compromise' sovereignty

FROTH AND BUBBLE
In Norway's Arctic, meteorologists have a first-row seat to climate change

Arctic warming spurs growth of carbon-soaking peatlands

How did life survive 'Snowball Earth'? In ponds, study suggests

Permafrost in Swiss Alps at record warmth

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Brazil says free of bird flu, will resume poultry exports

Climate change could cut crop yields up to a quarter

Heat tolerant crops achievable but require long timelines and major investment

Turkmenistan names high-yield wheat after its leaders

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Brazilian found dead after fall at Indonesia volcano

Two dead in Mexico as Hurricane Erick moves on from Mexican coast

Nigeria flood victims mourn missing bodies as death toll stagnates

Cleanup begins as Hurricane Erick moves on from Mexican coast

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Africa must pivot from aid to trade: WTO

Green bonds offer hope, and risk, in Africa's climate fight

34 Niger soldiers killed in attack near Mali border: defence ministry

Russia steps out from shadows in Africa with state paramilitary

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Light travels through entire human head in breakthrough for optical brain imaging

Human brain reveals hidden action cues AI still fails to grasp

Deforestation in S.Leone national park threatens chimps, humans alike

If people stopped having babies, how long would it be before humans were all gone?

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.