Recent developments regarding PFAS pollution in Lombardy have prompted Legambiente to urge the region to take urgent measures to protect water resources. During a seminar titled “PFAS Pollution. How is Lombardy Doing?”, organized as part of the Ecotess project, experts and representatives from local authorities discussed the increasing evidence of health risks associated with these persistent chemicals, which are used in various industrial sectors. Although there are currently no critical situations reported in Lombardy’s waters, monitoring has revealed significant concentrations of PFAS in water bodies, particularly in areas with high population and industrial density.
Lorenzo Baio, head of water resources at Legambiente Lombardia, emphasized the importance of adopting higher quality standards than the existing regulatory requirements and warned of the need for regulatory interventions to limit the use of PFAS and promote safer alternatives. Additionally, the lack of controls on bottled mineral water was highlighted, as it may contain concerning levels of PFAS contamination. The situation calls for a coordinated response between institutions and the private sector to effectively address this growing environmental issue.
