The Veneto Region will have to provide complete dossiers relating to the presence of Pfas in food. This was established by two new rulings by the TAR of Veneto which accepted the appeals presented by the Mamme No PFAS movement and by Greenpeace.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous
By 7 June, the Veneto Region will have to provide complete data relating to the presence of Pfas (perfluoroalkyl substances used in the industrial field that represent a serious health risk) in food. This is established by two sentences published by the Veneto Regional Administrative Court, which accepted the appeals presented by the movement Mom No PFAS and the environmental association Greenpeace, after the regional authorities had partially denied access to documents.
“These are historical judgments. For about two years we have been asking for transparency from the local authorities with all the tools that the law makes available and finally the TAR agrees with us "- comment Greenpeace and the Mothers No PFAS -" The people who have suffered the consequences of this pollution for decades have the the right to know the details of the contamination of food grown in the area, which products are most at risk and their origin, with reference to all the 12 perfluoroalkyl substances that have been analyzed. With this we absolutely do not want to create alarmism and let alone criminalize the producers who are also victims of this serious pollution. Precisely for this reason we also asked to know the inspection activities carried out by the Veneto Region for further control and the PRECAUTIONAL actions. Because it is precisely the PRECAUTIONARY aspect that can and must help the manufacturing companies ".
Read also: Pfas in Veneto waters: the authorities knew, but they never did anything to avoid pollution
An important milestone for the citizens of Veneto
These are numbers that the citizens of Veneto have been waiting for for several years, in particular since a study on the presence of these dangerous substances was commissioned at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. And there are thousands of people living in Veneto affected by Pfas contamination, which influence the entire food chain, from plants to animals, which have come into contact with contaminated water. The presence of Pfas for industrial purposes has made the groundwater undrinkable located in the subsoil of the provinces of Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Several health risks associated with the presence of these synthetic fluorinated chemicals, including the onset of tumors andinfertility. A scientific study conducted in Veneto in 2019 also revealed that Pfas seriously threaten the health of pregnant women and newborns.
Until now, the data available on the presence of these dangerous substances were provided by the Region in an aggregate manner and limited to only two compounds, but above all they were not geolocated. For years the Region had opposed the denial to the various instances of access to the documents, arguing that the sharing of documents would violate the privacy of the subjects observed, as well as hinder the judicial investigations in progress. The Guarantor of human rights had also expressed itself against this motivation, who had observed that the information requested fell within the scope of accessible information as it concerned "emissions into the environment".
The rulings of the TAR of the Veneto therefore represent an important milestone that will allow clarity on a delicate issue that concerns not only the environment, but also human health.
Source: Greenpeace/Mamme No Pfas
Read also:
- Denmark is the first country to ban the use of PFAS in food containers (but not in frying pans)
- Exposure to Pfas can weaken the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine. I study
- Pfas seriously harm the health of newborns and pregnant women. The study conducted in Veneto
