PFAS contamination in fish caught in Calabria and Tuscany

Data provided by Greenpeace Italy from the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Tuscany (ARPAT) and the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Calabria (ARPA Calabria) demonstrate that approximately 60% of fish harvested in Calabria’s waters exhibits evidence of contamination by PFAS (perfluoroctanesulphonic acid), a substance categorised as a probable carcinogen within the PFAS group (poly- and perfluoroalkyl compounds) detrimental to human health. Similarly, the same contamination is evident in fish and shellfish caught in the seas of Tuscany. Analyses conducted in Tuscany between 2018 and 2023 on fish in marine-coastal and transitional waters revealed exceedingly elevated levels in certain instances, indicating contamination that far exceeds the weekly threshold tolerable for human consumption as established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The findings of the investigations conducted by Arpa Calabria between 2021 and 2023 also indicate considerable levels of PFAS contamination in mullet, hake, and sea stork specimens obtained from locations along the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts. In light of these findings, it is imperative to prohibit the utilisation and manufacture of PFAS, according to Giuseppe Ungherese, Pollution Campaign Manager at Greenpeace Italy.