The conclusion is approaching the Miteni trialwhich is based on one of the most serious events of environmental contamination in Italian history.
On Friday, in Vicenza, the Court will enter the final stages of a procedure that involved 15 former managers of the Historical Chemical Factory of Trissinoheld responsible forWater poisoning with PFAS (Poly- and Per-Fluoroalchilic substances). These chemical compounds, used in multiple industrial processes, have accumulated for decades in the aquifers between Vicenza, Verona and Padua, exposing about 350 thousand people to a serious health risk.
The alarm on PFAS contamination publicly emerged in 2013, Thanks to an investigation conducted by the CNR-Irsa. Since then, the question has turned into a judicial and environmental case of national resonance, leading to the closing of Miteni in 2018. However, despite the interruption of industrial activity, pollution continues to represent a threat to the population and the environment.
The accusations and the process
Former Miteni managers are accused of serious environmental crimes, including water poisoning and environmental disaster. The analysis of the Veneto ARPA showed that pollution originated already in the 70s (the former factory, heir of the Rimar of Count Marzotto, began his activity in 1965), but for decades.
The PFAS, called “eternal pollutants” for their inability to degrade in the environment, were found not only in potable waters, but also in local foods and agricultural products, further aggravating the health framework. Some scientific studies connect prolonged exposure to these substances to serious pathologies, including tumors, endocrine diseases and dysfunctions of the immune system.
The battle of associations and citizens
For over a decade, environmental associations and city committees have fought to obtain justice and to guarantee immediate reclamation intervention. Greenpeace Italytogether with other local and national realities, It was a civil party in the process And he recently published a national pollution map from Pfas, highlighting the need for more stringent measures.
Is your tap water safe? The first map of the contamination from PFAS of the Italian Potable Waters
The independent analyzes conducted by Greenpeace They revealed the presence of PFAS in 79% of the samples of drinking water analyzed in Italyraising new concerns for public health. The problem, in fact, does not only concern Veneto: other areas of the country, including Piedmont, show significant levels of contamination.
The reclamation request
Despite the gravity of the situation, The reclamation of the Miteni site is still far from being created. The institutions have repeatedly promised decisive interventions, but the bureaucratic delays and the lack of adequate funds have so far hindered the operations necessary to stop contamination.
Attention is now focused on the decisions that will be taken in the coming months. The associations ask for not only an exemplary sentence for the defendants, but also An immediate action to secure the aquifers and prevent pollution from propagating further.
The Pfas ban in Italy
At European level, the PFAS are increasingly in the spotlight, with new regulations ready to enter into force in 2026 to limit their concentration in potable waters. However, Greenpeace and other associations they denounce the absence of a national plan to completely prohibit production and use.
The Italian government has been repeatedly urged to take a position, but so far the responses have been insufficient compared to the severity of the situation, Greenpeace has denounced.
Towards the sentence
The Miteni process represents a crucial test for environmental justice in Italy. The sentence will not only determine the responsibilities of the managers involved, but It will also have a symbolic value in the fight against industrial pollution. The request of the population and environmentalists is clear: those who pollute must pay, and the state must do more to protect public health and the environment.
