Forever Chemicals Without Borders: How Italy’s PFAS Disaster Reached India and What It Means for Public Health and Policy

In the quiet coastal region of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, India, surrounded by green hills, villages, and agricultural land, a modern chemical factory now operates in the Lote Parshuram industrial estate. At first glance, the facility appears new and compliant with industrial norms. However, behind its clean exterior lies a troubling history that stretches back thousands of kilometres to northern Italy and one of Europe’s worst chemical pollution scandals.

The factory’s machinery, chemical processes, and intellectual property once belonged to Miteni, an Italian chemical company based in Vicenza. Miteni was a major producer of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a large group of synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial and consumer products for their resistance to heat, water, and oil. These chemicals are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally and persist in the environment and the human body for decades.

What Happened in Italy: The Miteni PFAS Disaster

For decades, Miteni produced PFAS compounds used in products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and industrial coatings. For years, waste from the factory was discharged into the surrounding environment, contaminating groundwater and drinking water sources.

In 2011, scientists detected extraordinarily high concentrations of PFAS in wastewater and aquifers near the Miteni plant. Subsequent investigations revealed that approximately 350,000 people across several municipalities in the Veneto region had been exposed to PFAS through drinking water, making it one of the largest cases of chemical contamination in Europe.

Understanding PFAS: What Are “Forever Chemicals” and Why Are They Dangerous?

Per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, are a large family of synthetic chemicals created for industrial and commercial use. They were designed to resist heat, oil, grease, and water, which made them highly valuable to manufacturers. PFAS are used in non‑stick cookware, stain‑resistant fabrics, waterproof clothing, firefighting foams, food packaging, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and many specialised industrial processes.

What makes PFAS uniquely dangerous is their chemical structure. The bond between carbon and fluorine atoms is among the strongest in chemistry. This means PFAS do not break down naturally in soil, water, or living organisms. Once released, they persist for decades. Once absorbed by the human body, they remain in the blood and organs for years.

Because PFAS are invisible, they have no smell, colour, or taste, and people can be exposed for long periods without realising it. Exposure occurs primarily through drinking contaminated water, eating contaminated food, breathing industrial emissions, or working directly with PFAS‑producing materials.

Scientific research conducted over the last two decades has linked PFAS exposure to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disorders, immune system suppression, reduced vaccine effectiveness, fertility problems, pregnancy complications, and developmental issues in children. Importantly, these effects have been observed at exposure levels once believed to be safe.

Specific substances historically linked to Miteni:

• PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid): A long-chain PFAS that was a key product of Miteni’s fluorochemical intermediates. PFOA has been used in manufacturing processes such as producing non-stick and waterproof coatings and is one of the compounds most studied for toxicity.

• GenX and C6O4: These are newer generation PFAS alternatives that Miteni also manufactured starting in the 2010s. They were introduced as replacements for some older PFAS, but they still persist in the environment and raise similar health concerns.

The Italian Case: How Miteni Created Europe’s Largest PFAS Contamination

The story begins in Trissino, a small town in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. For decades, a chemical factory known as Miteni S.p.A. operated there, manufacturing PFAS for industrial use. Over many years, wastewater and chemical residues from the plant were discharged into the surrounding environment. These pollutants slowly seeped into underground aquifers that supplied drinking water to a vast region.

The contamination remained invisible for a long time. PFAS are colourless, odourless, and tasteless, allowing them to pass unnoticed through water supplies. For years, residents consumed contaminated water without any immediate warning signs. It was only in the early 2010s, when advanced environmental testing was finally conducted, that the scale of the pollution came to light. Authorities discovered that drinking water across several provinces had been affected, exposing more than 300,000 people.

This was not the result of a sudden spill or isolated accident. Investigations revealed that PFAS pollution had occurred continuously over decades. By the time action was taken, the chemicals had already accumulated in groundwater, soil, crops, livestock, and human bodies, creating one of Europe’s most serious cases of long-term chemical contamination.

What Blood Tests Revealed: Evidence Written in Human Bodies

Once the contamination was identified, Italy launched one of the largest health surveillance programs ever conducted for chemical exposure. Blood samples were taken from residents and former factory workers to measure PFAS concentrations.

The results were shocking.

In the general population, PFAS blood levels are usually measured in single-digit nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL). However, in people living near the Miteni factory, blood tests showed PFAS levels many times higher than national averages.

The most severe exposure was found among Miteni workers themselves. Some former Miteni employees had PFAS concentrations in their blood that reached thousands to tens of thousands of ng/mL. In one documented case, a worker’s blood PFAS level was reported to be over 90,000 ng/mL, among the highest levels ever recorded in scientific literature. These values were thousands of times higher than levels considered acceptable by public health authorities.

Children and teenagers living in the contaminated zone also showed elevated PFAS levels, proving that exposure was not limited to the factory but had spread through drinking water and food chains.

These blood tests provided irrefutable evidence that PFAS pollution was not an abstract environmental issue, it was physically present in people’s bodies.

Health Consequences

The Italian health surveillance program extended beyond blood testing to long-term medical monitoring. Clinical examinations and epidemiological studies revealed consistent patterns of harm. Elevated PFAS exposure was associated with increased cholesterol levels, liver enzyme abnormalities, kidney dysfunction, Thyroid and hormonal disruption, immune system impairment, increased risk of testicular and kidney cancer, cardiovascular disease, reproductive and developmental problems.

Independent studies later suggested excess mortality in affected communities. Families reported unusual clusters of illness, chronic health conditions, and fertility problems. Crucially, many of these effects emerged years after initial exposure, highlighting the long latency and cumulative toxicity of PFAS.

Once PFAS accumulate in the human body, medical care can only manage symptoms. At present, there is no clinically proven method to safely and completely remove these chemicals from human blood.

Legal Accountability: A Historic Verdict

In 2018, Miteni declared bankruptcy and shut down. But accountability did not end there. Italian prosecutors pursued criminal charges against former executives.

In June 2025, an Italian court delivered a landmark judgment. Eleven former managers were convicted of environmental disaster, pollution, and poisoning water resources. The court sentenced them to a combined 141 years in prison and acknowledged that the company knowingly allowed PFAS to contaminate water supplies.

This ruling was historic because it recognized PFAS pollution not just as regulatory non-compliance, but as a serious crime against public health.

The Shift to India: Relocation of Risk

In 2019, Viva Lifesciences, a subsidiary of Laxmi Organic Industries, an Indian chemical company, purchased all of Miteni’s assets, including machinery, patents, chemical formulations, and production know-how, through a public auction. Notably, it was the only bidder.

Source: The Guardian

By 2023, Miteni’s equipment was dismantled, shipped across the globe, and reassembled in Lote Parshuram MIDC, Maharashtra. By early 2025, the plant became fully operational, producing PFAS and fluorochemicals for use in global supply chains.

Shipping records show that chemical samples were sent to multinational corporations such as BASF, DuPont, Chemours, and FMC, companies that had previously sourced PFAS products from Miteni.

This raises a critical concern: while PFAS production faces increasing restrictions in Europe, the same hazardous industry is being relocated to regions with weaker regulatory frameworks.

Why Ratnagiri Is Particularly Vulnerable

Ratnagiri is part of the ecologically sensitive Konkan coast, known for its fisheries, rivers, groundwater dependence, agriculture, and biodiversity. PFAS contamination in such a region poses long-term risks to drinking water, marine life, soil, and food chains.

PFAS do not remain confined to factory boundaries. They can escape through wastewater, air emissions, sludge disposal, and accidental leaks. Once they enter rivers or groundwater, they spread widely and persist for generations.

As of now, no publicly available PFAS blood tests have been conducted on workers or residents near the Ratnagiri plant. There is also no transparent PFAS monitoring data for local water, soil, or seafood. This absence of data does not mean absence of risk, it means absence of visibility.

The Regulatory Gap: Europe vs India

One of the most troubling aspects of this story is the regulatory imbalance. Europe, after learning from disasters like Miteni, is moving toward broad PFAS restrictions and bans. Many PFAS uses are being phased out, and strict limits exist for drinking water. Biomonitoring and public disclosure are mandatory in many cases.

India, in contrast, currently has no comprehensive national standards for PFAS in drinking water, groundwater, or industrial effluent. There is no requirement for routine PFAS monitoring, no mandatory blood testing for exposed workers, and no public PFAS registry.

This regulatory gap creates conditions where the same mistakes that devastated Italy could be repeated, unnoticed, unmeasured, and unaddressed until damage becomes irreversible. In practical terms, this regulatory vacuum means PFAS discharges may go unmonitored, health impacts may remain undetected for years, and affected communities lack legal pathways for accountability.

Vulnerable Communities in Lote Parshuram

The Lote Parshuram industrial estate has a history of environmental violations. Local fishing communities have already experienced livelihood losses due to water pollution. The centralised wastewater treatment plant serving the estate has repeatedly been accused of malfunctioning, particularly during power outages, when untreated effluent is allegedly released directly into nearby streams.

PFAS contamination is particularly dangerous in such settings because these chemicals:

• Accumulate in fish and aquatic organisms

• Enter the food chain

• Persist in soil and groundwater

• Are extremely difficult and expensive to remove once released

What Policies India Must Implement to Track and Prevent PFAS Harm

To prevent another PFAS tragedy, India needs a proactive, science-based policy framework.

First, PFAS must be legally recognized as a hazardous class of chemicals, not treated individually compound by compound. Enforceable limits should be established for PFAS in drinking water, groundwater, soil, and industrial discharge, aligned with international best practices.

Second, India must create a national PFAS monitoring network. Regular testing of water bodies, industrial zones, and downstream ecosystems should be mandatory, with results made publicly accessible.

Third, biomonitoring is essential. Workers in fluorochemical industries and residents in surrounding areas should undergo periodic blood testing to detect early exposure. This is the only way to identify harm before it becomes widespread.

Fourth, worker safety regulations must be strengthened. Occupational exposure limits, protective equipment, closed-loop manufacturing systems, and long-term health surveillance should be mandatory for any facility handling PFAS.

Fifth, the polluter pays principle must be enforced. Companies responsible for contamination should bear the cost of cleanup, health care, and compensation, not the public.

Finally, transparency and public participation must be guaranteed. Communities have the right to know what chemicals are being produced, released, and stored in their surroundings.

                        The Miteni case is not just an Italian tragedy. It is a global warning. It shows how invisible chemicals can quietly poison water, enter human blood, and cause lifelong harm before authorities act. It also shows that once contamination occurs, no amount of money or technology can fully reverse the damage.

India now stands at a crossroads. The presence of PFAS-related industry in Ratnagiri offers a chance to learn from Europe’s mistakes rather than repeat them. Strong policies, early monitoring, and transparency can protect both public health and the environment.

Ignoring the warning signs, however, risks turning another region into a long-term sacrifice zone, one blood test at a time.